Day 39: It's worth the effort

I spent much of the day cleaning the concrete pad behind our house where our garage should be. Since the moment we moved in here, I have been at constant battle to make this space at least semi-presentable and usable. But, it is the only convenient place on our property to "temporarily" store stuff that we need to get rid of, and hence the battle.

Restoration takes monumental effort. It seems like falling apart is the natural way of things. The house gets messy, buildings and cars get old, gardens get full of weeds or overgrown and so, we roll up our sleeves and get to work. After those hours of working on a project - shining the silver, touching up the wall with new paint, polishing our shoes -- I find deep exhilaration admiring the object of my labor. It somehow reaches a potential I knew it had and makes the world just a little brighter.

Relationships too take effort to restore. I remember my teenage years left me and my mother on far sides of a monumental chasm. We were such different people with such different views on the the world. But I loved her. She loved me. And so, we began the work of restoring, rebuilding and renewing the relationship. It took effort on both sides. Forgiveness. Humility. Acceptance. Effort that was not wasted. I can't even begin to describe how incredible it is to be best friends and the share openly and honestly all the ups and downs of life. The joys and hardships of raising my own two boys with the woman who raised me.

Faith too requires the work of restoration. Finding faith is an amazing experience. Connecting with God for the first time. Taking that leap to reach out and find greater purpose in the universe. But, inevitably, like a garden, weeds start growing. Doubt. Pride. Lack of attention. If we work on these things day in and day out, we can keep them under control. But I find, more often, time goes by and the weeds take over everything. Digging out faith becomes a project. Daunting and dirty. But, diving in. Taking the challenge and forcing myself to wrestle with God, with faith, helps me to loosen the weeds and create space for light, life and love.