The home we were able to buy only had three bedrooms but I was able to add a fourth bedroom and a third bathroom within a year after we moved in. The original owner had purchased the home in 1980 and added a number of improvements including a large backyard patio and a built-in spa. He also enclosed the front court yard with a wrought iron gate.
Homeowners know that houses always need maintenance and upgrades. Over the years we replaced the wood shingle roof, installed double-pane windows and a new rollup garage door. We have fixed many lawn sprinklers and replaced some valves and the timer, too.
But as the years passed the wrought iron gate began to rust. I think one of the lawn sprinklers sprayed water on it three-times a week. I noticed the rust a few years ago but didn’t think it was a problem. The gate still worked. But the rust continued to erode the bottom of the gate. It was obvious we needed to find someone to replace the gate.
I realized that I had been ignoring the problem far too long. I had been lazy and indifferent. A rusty gate or overgrown landscaping reveals a lot about a homeowner. I wonder what my neighbors and guests thought when they saw my rusty gate. There is a passage in the Bible that says, “I walked by the field of a man where the weeds were overgrown and his fences were broken down”. The author describes the owner as a sluggard or a lazybones (Proverbs 24:30-34).
Recently I saw a man replacing a wrought iron fence in our neighborhood. His wife and two children were helping him. I stopped my car and asked the man if he could help replace my gate. One of his kids translated as we talked. I think it will make a wonderful Christmas present for my wife. I’m sure that it is just what she wanted this year.
Let me encourage you to not neglect a rusty gate or overgrown shrubs. There may be areas in your personal life that you have neglected too like a bad habit or a selfish attitude that are slowly destroying your relationship with others. Take action before things get out of hand. You will be glad you did and your family, friends and neighbors will too!
You can read 365 more articles and stories (one for every day of the year) by Mark Hopper in his book “Let Me Encourage You“. Two copies are only $30 plus $5 postage – one for you to enjoy and one to give to a friend. Order your books today at markh@efreedb.org.
Let Me Encourage You by Mark Hopper 