A Lesson From a Walk

Anita and I took a walk around our neighborhood this morning as we often do.  We passed a house that we have walked by many times; a house that just doesn't seem to 'fit' in this neighborhood, not because of its style or size but because of its condition.  There's an official notice of some kind taped to the front window.  The house has been abandoned for months and one can look between the decaying fence boards into the backyard where the swimming pool is now a large puddle of algae and the yard is overgrown in weeds.  Whether the owners were caught in a faltering economy that forced a foreclosure or they simply abandoned the house for some reason, the condition of the property  reflects neglect over a long period of time.  It is a sad sight in a neighborhood where, by all appearances, the residents seem to be doing well and take pride in the care of their homes.

When I got home I was reading the Bible and came to Proverbs 24:30-34.  The writer describes conditions that he saw perhaps while walking one day; property that had fallen into disrepair due to neglect.  But he didn't simply look and then walk away shaking his head in disbelief and dismay.  He "applied [his] heart to what [he] observed and learned a lesson from what [he] saw." Prov 24:32.  His lesson is there for us all to read in 24:33-34.

This proverb challenged me to apply my heart to what I had seen on our walk this morning and to share with you the lesson I learned from the run down property in our neighborhood.  The neglected house reminded me of what can happen to our lives if we neglect matters of the spirit.  When we fail to diligently and regularly attend to the maintenance of our relationship with Jesus Christ through worship, the word of God, prayer and fellowship with other Christ-followers, life begins to decay.

That house in our neighborhood was once some family's dream home, filled with joy and hope for the future.  Now it is a lifeless shell; laughter silenced; a symbol of dashed hopes and broken dreams.  We must be very intentional about caring for our spiritual lives.  Otherwise the insidious deterioration of neglect will leave us lifeless and without hope.  Who wants to live like that?