The point I’m getting at is our search for wholeness is often like these restorations. We can take the long difficult path to full on, down to every nut and bolt restoration. Seeking to work out our salvation completely. (Phil 2:12) Or we can do a sloppy backyard mechanic job with our discipleship. Then hope nobody looks too close, or that the floor doesn’t completely rust out from under you.
There are a few things we need to remember when engaging in the restoration of wholeness. The first is to seek God. (Psalm 14:2, Matt 6:33) Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God put eternity into our hearts. So it can be very easy to get lost, or barely scratch the surface of it without a guide. So we need to seek him through both prayer and scripture, not just one, or the other. Both have an important role that relies on the other. We need the scripture as a standard to hold what we receive via prayer to. Otherwise, we may confuse self, emotions, or something much worse for God. Where scripture without prayer makes it much harder to see how it applies to us, never really getting to the root of our brokenness.
The second is motivation. (Proverbs 10:5) If we are not self-motivated to seek God and his wholeness, procrastination can set in, and time can slip away from us more quickly than we realize. I learned the value of this at college when doing independent study. With no fixed time or schedule to work on projects. I had to constantly remind myself why I was doing this, and why it was important to keep on track. Not to mention strategize my efforts to completion of said project. There are many backyard mechanics that often neglect their projects for weeks or even months at a time. That will get you nowhere, and corrosion may continue to get worse while you wait.
The third is patience. (Psalm 40:1-3) We got to be patient with ourselves as well as others. Even in a physical restoration, there are times we got to wait for things to dry before moving on to the next step. Or redo things we didn't get right the first time. A spiritual restoration has holding patterns as well. There are no shortcuts to wholeness. We can either do it right, or we can do it fast, but not both. Shortcuts lead only to surface restorations that hide a lot of inner damage that works their way back to the surface, eventually. Having a judgmental attitude often only encourages others to follow this shortcut salvation of surface holiness.
Finally, connect with the right people. (Proverbs 18:15) While backyard mechanics always think they know everything, they frequently don't know as much as they think. They really need to drop the pride and seek expert advice and outsource when necessary. Those that only teach one dimension of holiness, are no better than the mechanics that paint over rust. So they are definitely not the right people. If you can't find the right people, then read the right books.
Our immortal soul is far more important in the long run than the proverbial dream car that I used as a comparison. But do you treat it that way? What do you really want for your Christian walk, a show-quality life that delights and inspires others to seek holiness as well? Or will you settle for an unfinished project that is but an eye sore for the neighbors? The choice is up to you.
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