Earlier this week, my husband texted me to ask if I would like to join him at work. It was after five and he still had a couple of hours of work to do. I thought for a moment about all of the things that I still wanted to do that evening, but decided if he was messaging me to ask me to join him it must be because he really needed me or at least he missed me. LOL!
So, our daughter and I loaded up and headed to the site where he was working. When we arrived he was just getting ready to get knee deep into cleaning out a piece of equipment. This time no troubleshooting would be involved; instead, preventive maintenance.
As he worked, he shared with our daughter that the outside walls served as protection for everything inside. The problem though is that dust and dirt settles in behind the walls and no one sees it and it rarely gets cleaned. Over time the dust and dirt build up which can cause the machine to overheat and parts to wear out before they are expected too.
As they talked he went about the business of screwing and unscrewing, diligently sweeping off and lightly vacuuming boards and panels. It was fascinating and almost peaceful to watch him in his element. Quickly, but carefully he checked and cleaned parts that often go unnoticed. Then one screw at a time put everything back together. Our daughter watched in amazement “how do you know where everything goes?” she asked. His reply “when you have been doing this as long as I have you just know.” We all laughed and smiled. Then our daughter helped him to add updated stickers to each of the pieces of equipment that he checked.
We noted how some areas around the machines looked to be cleaner than other areas. And, some machines looked to have been well taken care of, yet others not so much. I carried all of these images with me throughout the rest of the week. I thought about our conversation as we left the facility that night. We talked about how dirty some of the machines can get, how and why that might happen even though they are all built the same and have walls to protect them.
Then I thought about us and how sometimes dust and dirt can settle into us without us even really knowing or seeing it for years. And, I thought about how sometimes we can do such a good job cleaning up and tidying up our outside, but forget to clean the inside. And, then I thought about how I could probably use a little preventive maintenance. A little more time with God, our true technician. And, I wondered what this might look like on the outside:
Pray as you complete a chore each day. For instance, as you water the plants in your garden consider saying a prayer while you water each one.
Hug and hold the littles a little tighter and a little longer when you tuck them into bed each night.
Open your arms wide in the morning. Look up and smile! And, thank God for a brand new day. Even at 5 am.
And if a little dust and dirt sneak in, know that a little dust and dirt never hurt anyone. Just make sure to take a bit of time to clean it up.
Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the reminder that the work that we do everyday can serve a far greater purpose then we even realize. Thank you for the reminder that even though there are times in our life where dust and dirt can sneak in, when we consistently turn to you we will find the tools and resources that we need to clean it out. Lord, thank you for the reminder that sometimes when it seems like someone is calling you at an inconvenient time, stopping to visit with one another might be the very thing that you both need. Just some good ‘ol preventive maintenance. Amen.
Have a beautiful day!
All My Love,
Jen
For more information about Get Strong with Jen! click here.
To view 30 Days of Prayer for PTSD - Day 15 click here.
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