Twiddly Bits

No tales of rural walks amongst trees and surrounded by the chorus of summer birdsong. Not today. 

I did do those things – Dusty needs her daily walks – but yesterday and the day about to begin were characterized by hard physical work. Yesterday’s involved a 3-hour stint at Messy Church, feeding about 70 people, but forming part of a happy team doing it.  It also involved a couple of hours in the evening crawling around on the floor tacking curtain lining to the new curtains I’m making. 

But mainly, yesterday and today are characterized by the wrought iron railings outside of Don’s office. These railings can be very attractive, when newly painted, but the last few years have seen the emergence of rust spots and places where the paint has bubbled and peeled. So yesterday morning Robbie, Don and I scraped, wire-brushed and electronically sanded these intricate railings. 

Now the twiddly bits on the top of these railings are very pretty, but they aren’t so much fun to get old paint off of. The wire brush doesn’t quite fit; the drill attachment is only good for the flat bits, and so it takes elbow grease and an old-fashioned scraper to remove the loose paint.

We are about to head back to the office to complete the prep and get on with the painting – hopefully before any rain arrives. The forecast is sun and showers – it’s sunny now, so we’ll get going then. 

Some of our own adornments are very attractive, but maintaining them is not easy. I’m not thinking of frivolous clothing or hair styles but some of the jobs that we take on. Actually, I’m thinking of myself. I get so involved in a wide variety of jobs, many in the church, many which look attractive. There is nothing wrong with them. They're not exactly twiddly bits, but maybe in God's plan for me, they are.

Maybe there are others who can do some of them. Maybe I’m best to maintain those foundational straight posts – because I find that as I get more involved in more twiddly bits, the foundational posts get neglected. Things like prayer, Bible study, and writing. Those are foundational to my life and health.

And we all know what happens when the foundations aren’t good.

Storm Damage

Wild winds and heavy rains swept through UK yesterday and knocked out our power just as we prepared breakfast for a paying guest. We had to finish it on a camping stove, which made it a little different from his usual!

Driving down to help paint our son’s flat, we encountered debris and branches and even trees down at various points along the way. When we returned hours later, a broom bush had broken off into the drive, and various other bushes straggled into the pathway. Cut and tidied away now, the drive looks better than it did before (slightly...)

Emotional storms hit all of us at different times and bring damage, too. Sometimes cherished opinions are uprooted; sometimes new ideas are revealed to have no lasting value. 

Spiritual storms can rock our foundations, but they also serve to reveal who we are clinging too, and who is holding us. It’s good to clear out the debris every so often. It’s good to have erroneous beliefs exposed and uprooted. It’s healthy to rake out the undergrowth that has collapsed after the storm and allow refreshing air to circulate in our souls.

Storms can be dramatic and scary, inconvenient and disruptive and destructive. But they can also renew and refresh and encourage healthy and strong growth. 

And the calm after the storm exudes peace.