Closet or Garage

Recently I had the satisfaction of completing a home project. Through great effort, sweat, planning and diligence, I was able to add a shelving system in my garage. I must admit that I procrastinated on the project. About 2 ½ years ago I completed a similar project in the bedroom closet that my wife and I share. I completed that project in 1 day. On the flip side, it took me about 1 month to complete the garage shelving. The concept and the skills needed to complete the projects were the same. Find the studs, install the shelving track, make sure it is level and then secure the track to the studs. Pretty straight forward…. So why did it take me 1 day to finish one project and 1 month to finish another?

It recently dawned on me why I flew through one project and not the other that was similar. It was the fact that with the closet project, I was armed with a greater sense of urgency, an intense level of focus and a clear understanding of the need to complete the task. The circumstances surrounding the need for the projects were different. With the closet project the need was more apparent…in my eyes. Let me explain…

As my wife and I had just returned from one of our much needed vacations, we were shocked to find that almost all of our clothes from our closet were on the floor because the builder had not properly installed the closet system in our bedroom. I went from relaxed mode to “Bob the Builder” mode (Can we fix it...Yes we can) in a matter of seconds. By the evening I had gone to Home Depot, purchased the material and installed the closet shelving system, because I knew that we (my wife especially) could not operate without a functioning closet. Once the job had been completed and I hung the last shirt up in the “new closet”. I had an immense sense of satisfaction. The garage project was not met with equaled intensity because I approached it as something that I WANTED to do versus something that I NEEDED to do. In fact the need was the same, as my wife was eventually forced to park outside of the garage during most of the winter, but it was my perception of the need that was different.

Often time our inability or unwillingness to distinguish between things that we “want” to do and the things that we “need” to do becomes a barrier to us being able to demonstrate the love of God fully toward others. We sometimes allow our feelings to block out our ability to rationalize and subsequently allow “how we feel”, about people and circumstances, to dictate how we demonstrate the love of God.

God has given us the ability and the privilege to help others; however, sometimes we are only compelled to help when we “feel” like it. Regardless of whether we “feel” like it or not, the urgency of the need that exists in the lives of those around us in not diminished. We are called not only to love, but to love well.

Philippians 1:9-11 (The Message) So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.
When it comes to loving others and to demonstrating the Love of God, God’s standard is so much higher than human standards. God calls us to love the “unlovely”, those who will not love you back, those who “use” you, those who can’t repay you, those who curse you, those who mean all types of evil toward you…etc. Simply stated God wants us to love others the way that He loves us (we are “unlovely”, selfish etc).

As we choose to demonstrate the love of God through our relationships with our spouses, our children, our co-workers, our extended family, our friends, our enemies and random people that we encounter, let us approach each opportunity to love with sincerity so that people can see God through our love and be drawn to a closer relationship with Him.

The urgency of the need for love is present. Will you approach your opportunities to love like I approached the garage project or the closet project?

Be Blessed,
B