Garage Door Trials

For the last couple of weeks one of our garage doors has been working 'cock-eyed' (another form of the word, 'crooked'): One side seems always to hang up as the door raises and the other side won't settle as it closes. Yesterday one of the long springs on the opener broke, releasing cable and door to settle in a fashion that would not allow movement until I took the time to replace it. Today, I replaced both long springs and found the original problem which I had not been able to identify before: The other spring (the one which did not break) had shifted enough on the eye bolt attaching it to the mounting that it was not completely stretching out, thus causing the garage door to work in a 'cock-eyed' fashion . . . which is also what probably caused the other spring to break. And, I thought as sweat poured out through every fiber of my clothing while working in the hot, humid garage, isn't this a lot like the faith community.

As long as everything and everyone is contributing to the success of the whole, the mission and ministries work smoothly and without a glitch. Yet, let one of the workers or one of the ministries start slowing up in their work while others about them continue at the pace set for completion and, all of a sudden, things become very 'cock-eyed'. The edges begin dragging, complaints like squeeking garage door wheels start resounding at every opportunity, outsiders start commenting on the strange sounds that emminate from the gathered community as the very fabric of the faith family begins to stretch and tear, then, finally, a cable breaks, a family leaves, a ministry folds, and mission abruptly stops. Nothing is to going to be accomplished until time is taken to strip the works down and the offending issues are dealt with, even if it means completely replacing the old and beginning anew. In my mind, it has something to do with the unwise practice of placing new wine in old wineskins: Sometimes you just have to say, 'No more.'

Well, the springs are replaced, the main rail is realigned and attached with new anchors, and the door works like new. That everything is working quietly and efficiently appeases the old German ethos in my heart, but that everything is working together gives me hope that God, in Christ, is at work doing the same with all that is squeeking and balking in the way the Christian community struggles to work together.

I pray a spring doesn't have to bust and the whole thing be thrown out by the Master Carpenter before we get the message, but then, maybe that is the best thing which could happen. Sometimes we have to be completely out of order before we are able to allow God's Spirit to fix what needs to be addressed. Sometimes we need to remember it is not, "My will be done", but "Thy will be done". Praying for 'on earth as it is in heaven' for us all as I go from one project to the next, I remain,

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don