05/21/2024
I have a friend in Brazil who sent me a text message the other day. This was a bit unusual because I had only communicated with him a few times since I was in Brazil last summer.
He told me he had a dream that he and I were together in a shed. There was water dripping through the roof of the shed onto an unknown object that was making the object look old and damaged. In his dream, I was upset about this and told him that I should have taken care of that “thing” a long time ago, and so we knelt and prayed.
Then he wrote, “I have no idea what it means, but I felt like sharing it with you.”
I thanked him for sharing and said, “I don’t know what it means either, but I’ll pray about it.” And so, I have.
There may be a specific interpretation of this dream, but for now, let me draw a general interpretation that applies to us all: Take care of precious objects now. The longer you put something off, the longer it has the potential to get damaged.
Maybe I should have taken care of the leaky roof a long time ago. Maybe I should have reached out to that friend whom I disappointed earlier. Maybe I should have let go of that bitterness years back. But since I didn’t, the wound has festered, and greater damage has occurred.
The Bible is filled with the urgency of doing the right thing, not waiting, not putting off for tomorrow what needs to be done today. Jesus said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).
Don’t let the constant drip of unreconciled relationships do greater damage than what has already been done. Fix the hole in the roof first, and then work on restoring whatever has been damaged.
“Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, `Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today’” (Luke 19:5). “So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice…” (Hebrews 3:7).
Don’t delay what you need to do today. Take care of that “thing” now, so that it doesn’t become old and damaged. Charles Dickens once wrote, “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.”
The longer we delay forgiveness, restoring relationships, letting go of anger, becoming a follower of Jesus, doing the right thing, honoring God, letting go of the past, going to counseling, saying, “I’m sorry,” starting that new project, saving for retirement, beginning that new exercise and nutrition plan, the greater the damage to the precious gifts in life.
So, what are you waiting for? Jesus asked the man who had been lame for 38 years, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). If so, then, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (John 5:8).
And now I ask you, “Do you want to get better, be reconciled, find peace, or restore whatever `object’ is becoming old and damaged in your life?” Then take care of that “thing.” Fix the roof, and then, by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, Jesus can restore whatever is broken in your life to His perfect plan and design.
“Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
