My house is an older house and all of my outlets were two-prong instead of three. We recently had an electrician come to switch them all over. From the information he was given, he only needed to change the outlets. He’d be out on Tuesday and the job would take about 4 hours.
The guy gets to my house on that Tuesday at about 9:00 am and gets right to work. He goes to the basement to cut the power and notices that my breaker box would need to be replaced. This was important because it’s where all my electricity runs through and if this thing were to go out, I’d have a huge problem. He decided to fix that at the end and go ahead with the initial plan.
Real Heart Matters Run Deep
As he began removing outlets, he noticed that the wiring was old as well. Once he began removing stuff, wires started crumbling right in his hands. It was so bad that he asked me if I was sure I hadn’t had any power outages and said it was a wonder that I hadn’t had any fires (imagine my horror).
What started out being a 4-hour job, quickly became two days. By the time he was finished, it’d taken him five workdays (6-8 hours each day). Whoa… I know. This meant that not only was he and his coworker at my house for five days, but I also had to be there. It gave me a bit of anxiety. You know, not only having to be in my space but someone I didn’t know being there as well. I spent most of the time in my bedroom and I was exhausted, bothered, and ready for them to be done.
So, I did what any mature adult would do, I called my mom. She listened then calmed me down (because I threw a tantrum). She helped me to rationalize that this was a good thing, a necessary thing. My home was being improved, upgraded, and taken care of. The time would be worth it. The isolation would be worth it. I’d be safer and I would have something to show for it.
Y’all know I needed all of that because, well, I wasn’t mentally prepared to devote an entire week to sitting in my bedroom while strangers pulled my house apart.
Healing is Coming for Your Heart Matters
Many times, we’ll find that our lives are much like my house. No, not the old part, but the part where we need some maintenance done.
There will be times when we decide to do some self-improving and find that our issues are much deeper and severe than we were prepared for. You know, like the old wiring in my house. We may even notice that our breaker box (our heart) needs some healing.
See, we may ignore or neglect our own heart matters for so long that they worsen over time. Frustration with that one person may become resentment. Feelings of offense can lead to unforgiveness. All that shutting people out can easily lead to feelings of loneliness. Yep, that’s bad wiring, and you may not even notice it until you set out to fix a surface-level problem. And, just like that, you’ll be caught off guard and led down a road that you were unprepared to travel.
You may experience some isolation, the way I did, sitting in my room. But, there are some things that God cannot rid us of until there are no outside distractions.
So, What’s the Play Call?
I know it’s tough to see yourself this way, but it’s necessary. Here are some things to recall when you need a little more work than you thought you did:
- Ask God to search your heart. Just as I had no idea of the condition of the wiring in my house, you won’t know the actual condition of your heart until you ask the Expert to search you. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:” Psalms 139:23
- Let God clean your heart. Many of the things that plague us lead to heart matters. This is why we must willingly allow God to cleanse us. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10
- Ask God to help you cope. Listen, there were a billion times in that 5-day period that I had to ask God to help me deal with what was going on. Anxiety started to set in, I was upset and tired. We experience these same emotions when there is construction going on inside of us. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
- Don’t let anxious thoughts get the better of you. Thoughts are something else, aren’t they? I mean, all it takes is one and we’re headed off the deep end. Let God give you peace. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
Please note that you are being improved, upgraded, and taken care of. The time will be worth it. The isolation will be worth it. You will be safer, and you’ll have something better to show for it.
