SUMMER PSALMS | FOR CARE

There’s a dilapidated purple house at the corner of our little historic row of town. Roof caving in, shingles missing, siding rotting from the foundation up. Adorned with a private property no trespassing sign and all, it looks as if no one has lived there for decades. I would love to see someone come in and make that house look like Mr. Pine’s Purple House again. (Do you remember the kids book?!) I love a storybook home with a storybook ending, don’t you? But today, it sits.

I drive by this house routinely, but recently it started pulling more at my attention. This house is present — seen and passed by — but it remains untouched and uncared. Certainly those walls could tell stories if they could sit a spell and spill the tea. Who owns it? Why is it left this way? What burdens does it carry, with a leaking roof and sinking exterior? The years of unkept grounds are undeniably weighing on its foundation. Could it crumble? Will light shine though its leaded window panes again?

Maybe these days we can relate in some way. Our foundation seems to be in tact, but a “keep out” sign and a worn exterior strains what dwells inside. Truth be known, we all need more than a fresh coat of purple paint for true care and revival. This house too.  

Hebrews 3:6 says we are the Lord’s house. Yes! He makes His home in our hearts. Even shambled purple ones. And when He comes, our heart-homes are made new, remodeled from foundation up. No more leaking roof or squeaky doors. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis describes with greater depth and enlightenment about us being God’s home. I want to share a bit of it here — 

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

What God is building in your heart and in your life might not look exactly like the purple house 2.0 you envisioned. This remodeling isn’t guaranteed to be easy or feel comfortable. But better things come from boards and beams build on His solid foundation. We are not without hope because our Builder cares for us. We are His house.

Yes, He cares for us when we give our burdens to Him (Psalms 55:22). I love it when one verse takes me to another — especially when it’s Word straight from Jesus’ heart and mouth. In Matthew 11:28-30 He says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” 

He can handle our heavy burdens. In fact, He wants to take them off our hands. Daily, He does it. When we give our burdens to Him, He cares for us, why? Because He is humble and gentle at heart. We may find true rest and restoration, for the burden He gives us is light. Here, we learn a new rhythm of unforced grace — freely, lightly, and in good company (Matthew 11 MSG).

 May our faith not become worn-out like this purple house in my corner of Tennessee, but equipped to weather the storms of life because the Lord is always with us. Unlike this house, we are not forgotten or left behind. May we be transformed by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit — changing our hearts from the inside out. May it be so. 

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