The Upkeep No One Sees

There is a whole lot of unseen upkeep in life.

Changing sheets, mowing lawn, washing laundry, servicing the car, making meals, planning groceries, unplugging drains, buying supplies, fixing broken appliances, all that unseen upkeep of daily life. It’s tiring. It’s monotonous. It’s necessary.

It never ends, does it? Yet, if I don’t do the dull maintenance of upkeep, I can’t live with the rotten consequences.

When we moved back from Italy, like middle aged newlyweds looking to buy our first house, we gazed dreamy-eyed over the American homes we toured. We spoke crazy talk like, “we could take down that wall, and move this over there,” “the flooring’s got to go…,” and “it just needs another bathroom.”

Ridiculous talk.

Our wise realtor listened as we redid and restructured one house after another. And after hearing our demo-day-repeated-revisioning, she said, “The best thing you can do for resale value is not remodel, but maintain well.”

Kinda took the air out of our tires.

Maintenance sounds neither glamorous nor creative. Neither exciting nor fun. But it is wise.

Gutters need to be cleaned or the wood will rot. Windows need to be sealed well or electric bills will suffer. Wiring must be to code or it’s a fire hazard. Roofs need fixing, air ducts cleaning, and plumbing repaired, or the consequences quickly become destructive for the whole house.

Life needs maintenance more than glamour.

But here is a sad story, the more stuff I acquire, the more maintenance is required.

Because life in a broken world keeps breaking. And right now I’m living that reality.

My washing machine sounds like a jet engine that can’t take off.

The dryer sounds like the squealing tires of a teenager. My stove has one burner down and three-ish to go.

My oven is letting out an unfortunate stream of heat, turning a strip of the white exterior into a caramel colored vexation.

My husband just had to buy a new lawnmower because the old one gave up the ghost.

The microwave started shooting sparks that left burned marks on its sides.

The vacuum cleaner needs a new battery.

And the list goes on.

We’ve hit a massive everything at once breakdown. It’s concerning, irritating, and expensive.

It’s true not just in the physical world, but also in the spiritual realm. Even the body needs nutrition, exercise, and replacement parts. As does the soul.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV)

I creak and groan. I ache and bruise.

Everything hits the end of its life’s cycle. It breaks down, life span draws to a finish, things quit working.

And sometimes that wear and tear feels its pain inside my soul. My influence lessens. My belonging shifts. My body weakens and my mind forgets. .

Paul refers to physical decline, as a wasting away, in the 2 Corinthian passage, but he throws in a “decay disclaimer” for the soul.

God plans for tests and trials to uncover within us a greater spiritual reality. And that spiritual reality assures us that the best is yet to come. If our spiritual lives are consistently maintained, even the wearing down of the physical, the hard knocks and deep trials, work for the good of what’s within. It’s preparing us for something better.

Careful maintenance in every age and station prevents spiritual apathy, abandon, and resignation to inflict our entire being.

Financial hits of life strengthen trust in God the Provider. Health issues refine priorities so we see God is Sovereign. Worries drive us to the Word and prayer. Relational tears and heartache reveal the One who is Prince of Peace.

Because “an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” awaits us.

Soul maintenance prepares us, it schools us. It cannot be underestimated.

Day by day routines of cleaning out the rot of sin, of forgiving others, of putting on God’s compassion and love, maintain and refresh our relationship with Jesus.

Sitting in His presence, reading His Word, finding fellowship with the body of Christ, all strengthen His purposes and bring broken hearts to health. These are pieces of His overall renewal-plan. 

Invisible inward upkeep brings growth. It continues a transformation through His Holy Spirit which shapes internal perspective, even though our external may deteriorate.

The things that are unseen are eternal.

We have a lot of old stuff at our house to replace with newer, better, and shiner. Probably you do too. But the Apostle Paul reminds us that none of those things will last forever. Our unseen internal upkeep matters. Let’s commit to the eternal.