Long distance
Well yesterday was quite the adventure. Sam and I were traveling to Vaaloewer for a kids ministry task. Vaaloewer is this confused little town, it can't seem to decide which province it falls under...the boards "welcome to North West" and "welcome to Gauteng" are directly adjacent to each other.
While on the highway right before entering Vanderbiljpark, Bruno decided he was just tired and would take a break, no warning, nothing. Our first reaction: 'this is not happening' ( so we had a big laugh). When we tried to start him up, he was like: 'uhm, no.' So we decided we'd step out the car and open up the bonnet like every other normal person does when their car breaks down...but we realized we didn't know what to look at or to look for once opened, so we just spread our hands out and prayed for everything we could see. We closed it up, laid a few more hands on him, and stepped inside. Trying to start him up once again, it was like he was saying: 'you can pray all you want, fast even, I aint going nowhere' Again we laughed (I'd be in tears if Sam wasn't there). So we googled up a machanic, going for the one that sounded most legit and called them up (Vanderbijlpark Auto, they were great, didn't even charge us for towing us).
Continuing with our journey, my friend said something I found quiet profound. I was complaining that my car hadn't given me trouble in months and so much parts were new in it. She said: 'it takes a long distance for some flaws to be revealed'. Nothing profound there, one might argue, but I took it outside the context of the conversation and realized the same rule applied to people we relate with. All is well when we hook up, we make quick fixes and repairs where we foresee problems and off we go proclaiming undying love for them. Then stuff we didn't expect start popping up, weaknesses we couldn't have foretold, dark habits that where hidden with care...all things capable of bringing the journey to a halt. It is then one has to decide to simply walk away or to stay, work on it, help and support until ready again to continue with the journey.
The same thing with a house. We had our house renovated and remodeled not too long ago. We were happy and satisfied with the end result and lived happily in it. Then came the rain season, and we learnt (through wet blankets and slippery floors) that our roofing had flaws. The dust season showed us the flaws in our windows. But that didn't mean we would pack up and move out, too much effort had gone into this house to get it as is. We would stay and fix what needed fixing.
What I'm trying to say is this: nothing and nobody is perfect (but God) if you're going to get anywhere with your parents, siblings, friends, children, or spouse, you're going to have to make a conscious decision everyday that you're going to stay and make it work instead of taking the easy way out and walking away. And trust me, you can go find another friend, marry someone else, but if it's this life, you WILL find flaws in them in the long run...you can't run forever. Heard someone say: a relationship is like a house; when a light bulb goes out, you don't buy a new house, you fix the light bulb.
I love Proverbs 24:10 when it says "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength." My heart reads it as: if you walk out in times of trouble, how small is your love.
While on the highway right before entering Vanderbiljpark, Bruno decided he was just tired and would take a break, no warning, nothing. Our first reaction: 'this is not happening' ( so we had a big laugh). When we tried to start him up, he was like: 'uhm, no.' So we decided we'd step out the car and open up the bonnet like every other normal person does when their car breaks down...but we realized we didn't know what to look at or to look for once opened, so we just spread our hands out and prayed for everything we could see. We closed it up, laid a few more hands on him, and stepped inside. Trying to start him up once again, it was like he was saying: 'you can pray all you want, fast even, I aint going nowhere' Again we laughed (I'd be in tears if Sam wasn't there). So we googled up a machanic, going for the one that sounded most legit and called them up (Vanderbijlpark Auto, they were great, didn't even charge us for towing us).
Continuing with our journey, my friend said something I found quiet profound. I was complaining that my car hadn't given me trouble in months and so much parts were new in it. She said: 'it takes a long distance for some flaws to be revealed'. Nothing profound there, one might argue, but I took it outside the context of the conversation and realized the same rule applied to people we relate with. All is well when we hook up, we make quick fixes and repairs where we foresee problems and off we go proclaiming undying love for them. Then stuff we didn't expect start popping up, weaknesses we couldn't have foretold, dark habits that where hidden with care...all things capable of bringing the journey to a halt. It is then one has to decide to simply walk away or to stay, work on it, help and support until ready again to continue with the journey.
The same thing with a house. We had our house renovated and remodeled not too long ago. We were happy and satisfied with the end result and lived happily in it. Then came the rain season, and we learnt (through wet blankets and slippery floors) that our roofing had flaws. The dust season showed us the flaws in our windows. But that didn't mean we would pack up and move out, too much effort had gone into this house to get it as is. We would stay and fix what needed fixing.
What I'm trying to say is this: nothing and nobody is perfect (but God) if you're going to get anywhere with your parents, siblings, friends, children, or spouse, you're going to have to make a conscious decision everyday that you're going to stay and make it work instead of taking the easy way out and walking away. And trust me, you can go find another friend, marry someone else, but if it's this life, you WILL find flaws in them in the long run...you can't run forever. Heard someone say: a relationship is like a house; when a light bulb goes out, you don't buy a new house, you fix the light bulb.
I love Proverbs 24:10 when it says "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength." My heart reads it as: if you walk out in times of trouble, how small is your love.
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