Hope for the Entangled Life


UGH... NOT YOUR BEST WORK, BRYAN!

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that this is not a "wall hanger" but it speaks to me. Why? Because this was once the residence for the owners/operators of the Ogeechee River Mill in Georgia. For decades this house was a family home with memories of love, laughter, rest, play and a lot of work. Now it has deteriorated to the point where perhaps the tangle of overgrown vines is the only thing holding it together.

How easily a home can fall apart without ongoing maintenance. How easily our lives can also fall apart when we neglect to care for it physically, emotionally and spiritually. We can become so entangled in our occupations, hobbies, secret sins and pleasures that we are not even mindful of the damage done to ourselves and those closely connected to us. Before you know it our clean house is a heap of waste and debris.

In running that race called life, we are encouraged by these words: "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

The good news is that God is even better at restoring lives than Chip and Joanna are at restoring houses. But it begins and ends with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

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