I'm not great at “DIY”. I lean more towards “GSETDI – PFF” ( which stands for “Get Someone Else To Do It – Preferably For Free”).
We have a collection of pictures and framed photos located around the house – some hung up, and some waiting to be hung up. The ones that have been hung up aren’t perfect, but they’re just about ok. I also put together a storage unit for our new living room lounge a couple of years ago which involved hanging 4 sets of doors that should symmetrically align with each other. They don’t (and I think this bothers Craig and Coral Hooper every time they come round to visit, although they’re too polite to say anything!). I’m also nervous about ever having to move the flat-screen TV that is hanging on the wall in our lounge. Despite my dad helping to put it on the wall, I still had a hand-in proceedings, so I’m never entirely sure whether it will come crashing down at some point. Although, sometimes I wish it would just fall down, especially when Kate is watching another trashy TV programme.
I have tried to improve at DIY over the years, and I have managed to assemble other furniture in the house that’s still standing to this day (wardrobes, chest of drawers, beds, tables), but it’s just something I don’t enjoy. I get really frustrated when it doesn’t come together quickly even though I’ve been trying to follow the instructions. I just get bored with the detailed instructions and annoyed that it isn’t falling into place immediately. In fact, Kate and the kids have learnt over the years to vacate any area where I’m trying to do some DIY, as it’s not a pleasant environment to be in!
I’m reading through Exodus at the moment, and have got to the part where Moses is given a description of the requirements for building the Tabernacle (including all of the items that are to go inside of it, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Lampstand, etc.). It’s amazing how much detail and intricacy there is in the design of everything, and how people were required to fully follow these instructions. In a similar way, we read about all of the different rules that people had to follow during the Exodus from Egypt (for example, there are detailed instructions around burnt offerings, guilt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings), which I think I would struggle to keep for any sustained period of time.
This is just one of the many reasons why I am so thankful for Jesus, as His death and resurrection take the place of all of these requirements once and for all. However, the detailed requirements that are captured in the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, say something about the God we serve and the importance of following His instructions to the letter.
Detail is important and shouldn’t be overlooked. Had I properly followed the detailed instructions to correctly apply the hinges to the doors of the storage unit I was building, I might have ended-up with a symmetrical set of doors. The small decisions that we make each day ultimately affect the bigger picture of who we end up becoming. I remember Claude once teaching about the importance of small beginnings (see Zechariah 4 vs 10). Although this verse relates to the new Temple that was being built, the footnote to it in my Bible says that “What you do for God may seem small and insignificant at the time, but God rejoices in what is right, not necessarily in what is big”. Being faithful in the small areas of our life is an important building block in developing Godly character. This involves bringing every decision, thought, word and action in-line with God’s Word and the values contained therein, which will develop Godly character that lasts and produce a life that is aligned with God (and not crooked like my storage unit doors!).
I encourage you to seek God’s direction on all those little decisions that you face each day, and to bring Him into every tiny detail of your lives, that we might ultimately become a reflection of Him.