Routine Maintenance

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:15 (ESV)

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4: 31-32 (NASB)

I quickly closed down my laptop, threw on my jacket, grabbed my keys and headed out the door, hurriedly, from work. As a physical therapist, my workday is typically scheduled in a very precise, efficient matter, often not leaving any time for dilly-dallying. That particular Tuesday morning was no different as I found myself rushing out the door and down the road to waiting patients at another location.

I fired up my 2007 Toyota Camry and peeled out of the parking lot. I was expecting a package to arrive from Amazon that morning, so I decided to squeeze in a quick drive-by to check my porch and see if it had it been delivered (a luxury of living super close to work). Much to my dismay, there were no packages on my front porch, and thus, I continued the drive to my next destination. This is where things would get interesting.

I had been driving a reasonable amount of time to allow my car to warm up in the twenty-nine degree weather, so I reached forward to turn on the heat. In doing so, I was blasted with more terribly cold air. Dang it, I thought to myself, I am really going to have to get this car looked at sooner rather than later. As I picked up my phone to call a friend that often helps me when I run into troubles with my car, I noticed the temperature gauge on my car getting higher. I recognize my knowledge of vehicle mechanics is limited, but I knew that was a sign something significant was wrong internally.

After a brief conversation and a gradually increasing temperature gauge, I found myself pulled off on the side of the road, looking under the hood. Though I had just topped it off the morning before, my coolant tank was nearly empty, again. You see, I had been dealing with a small leak, but it had required nothing more than adding a little coolant to the reservoir every few months. Suddenly, I had a much bigger problem on my hands. The leak had worsened significantly in a matter of days, and, as my mechanic friend informed me, if the problem went unaddressed, I could risk a blown radiator and ultimately, damage to the motor of my car. Uh-oh.

Remember the detour to my house to check for packages that I told you about earlier? Well, that certainly turned out to be a blessing from the Lord, as it changed the route I normally take and left me pulled over just a mile from a close friend’s house. After quickly topping off the coolant once again, I parked my car in her driveway and she graciously gave me a ride to my destination. Faithful friends reaching out in various ways to help me resolve my car issue would mark the rest of my day.

Another friend picked me up from work, took me to lunch and dropped me back off for the afternoon. My mechanic friend made numerous calls to folks around town to find someone who would fix my car without charging me an arm and a leg. And, as a single woman with limited knowledge in the area of car repair, I was so incredibly grateful. As I finished work that afternoon my friend and her husband picked me up and helped me safely get my car to the shop for repair. A couple days wait and a little maintenance under the hood and my car would be good to go.

So, let’s recap. What initially began as a small leak quickly turned into a major problem leaving me on the side of the road calling out to various friends, asking for guidance. Checking under the hood that morning, I was able to see how the problem had begun to significantly affect other components of my car as it left behind residue from the leak. In addition, I remember pulling into the driveway at my friends’ house that evening when her husband remarked about the left behind anti-freeze from where I had parked my vehicle that afternoon. Hours later, as I was reflecting back on the events of the day, in my spirit I felt the Lord asking me have you done any routine maintenance on your heart lately? Whew boy, did that hit me in my gut.

Just like our vehicles, over time our hearts can develop slow leaks that, if left unaddressed, can wreak havoc in our lives. What emotions in your heart need a quick maintenance check? In Hebrews 12:15 the Lord says “see to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” Whoa. The last line really got me here. Sometimes I neglect to realize how my negative emotions, when left unchecked, have the capacity to impact those around me in a hurtful, damaging way. Though this verse talks specifically about bitterness, it can be applied to any number of negative emotions such as anger, resentment, pride, fear, anxiety, and guilt.

Interestingly, and not a coincidence I am certain, I have been struggling a bit with fear lately. Over the past couple of years I have dealt with some issues related to endometriosis. If you don’t know much about the condition, it can cause significant pain and has the ability to impact internal organs like the ovaries, intestines, appendix, etc. Due to some medicine issues, I’ve recently been dealing with pain again and that has left me reflecting on how this may impact my future. Enter the enemy. The devil was so quick to jump in and try to twist my thoughts and, before I knew it, I was deep down a rabbit hole of negative thoughts and emotions.

Just as our vehicles have temperature gauges on the dash to help us know when we need to check under the hood, we must surround ourselves with Christian friends who are willing to be a gauge for us; those friends in our lives that will gently and lovingly hold us accountable when they begin to notice a leak. I am so grateful for Godly friends in my life that helped me recognize this leak of emotion before it became a huge problem. It took a bit of time, but thanks to prayer, God’s word and loving friends pointing me to Jesus, I was able to refocus my thoughts and remind myself that, though I don’t know what my future holds, I know His plan for my life is good.

Without routine maintenance of our hearts, we often end up carrying negative emotions for an extended period of time. And, as the Lord demonstrated to me through the issue with my car, what begins as a small leak can escalate quickly, causing internal damage under the hood (our hearts), while also having damaging effects on those whom we love dearly. This is why we must pay attention to Ephesians 4: 31-32 where it says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” I am sure we can all agree that, at various points in our lives, we’ve allowed these issues to go unchecked. Thankfully, we have a good, loving Father who provides what we need in order to prevent these episodes from leading to a break down.

As I was composing the final words of this post, the Lord gave me this analogy list. I think I’ll print it off and put it on the dash of my car as a reminder of the need for routine maintenance in my life. I hope you’ll join me.

Owner’s Manual = God’s Word

Temperature Gauge on Dash = Godly friends

Under the Hood = Into Our Hearts

Mechanic = Jesus

I’m not sure what negative emotion has clipped itself to your heart, but I do know that Jesus is the ultimate mechanic. Pop your hood and open your heart. Give Him an opportunity to look around and show you the areas that need to be addressed. Not knowing what you will find, it might be scary at first. And, like any repair, it will come at a cost. But, I can promise you; it will always be worth it to give Jesus full access to your heart.

#Fear