Wintertide Tractations: Mend

Wintertide Tractations: Mend

Start.

Mend is a beautiful word.  It makes me think of something that was once new and shiny and attractive that somehow broke, or became old, or unattractive, and is now under repair by one who sees the potential it still holds. 

Throughout my life mending has been a part of our family's common practice. My mother used to say that when Kyrie was small she thought Mama could fix anything with Duct-tape.  Kyrie herself inherited the "mending gene" plus a huge combination of compassion and insight into the unseen "gold-mine below the surface" in any given cast-off.

I've been thinking of mending in a spiritual sense alot lately.  Friends who I had such confidence in, brothers in Christ whom I'd grown with, whom I respected...they're in need of mending.  A couple whose marriage is in tatters.  A little child I know, broken in heart by parents who made foolish decisions, now trying to figure out how to live "life in the aftermath".  

A few weeks ago, before these recent mending projects came to light, my mind flitted to another brother.  He, too, had become a mending project after life had blown up in his face.  But here I want to clarify: not my mending job.  No, this type of mending project, when it involves people, that's only something the Lord can do.  So as I thought of this brother in Christ, I realized how beautifully my Lord and Father had done true, deep, needed mending on his behalf.  Suddenly the perfect descriptive phrase popped into my mind, "Like it never even happened."  Maybe you've never heard of ServPro where you're from, but around here, one can often see TV commercials with green-suited people sliding down ropes and rushing to the rescue to repair some house or business after water or fire damage.  Their goal is to restore the building back to normal, as if the disaster had never occurred.  I have to say, my God does things far better than ServePro!  What kind of company could ever address the deep-down, painfully pervasive heartaches and spiritual diseases that mankind groans with?  None.  But my Savior diagnoses them perfectly and has the exact solution for each need: Himself! 

In His Word, we find the answers to all manner of problems....if we're willing to take the time to seek them out and find them.  It's not a flash-fix.  It's not microwave cooking: speedy-fast.  It takes time which some people don't want to give.  In God's hands, and on His schedule, transformation and real, health-inducing mending can take place.  I've seen that He can do it and that's my hope for these on my heart tonight.  If you're in need of mending, seek Him.  I love Psalm 147:3, "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."  Yes, our Creator is the One Who can mend.