I know there seems to be this assumption that if you’re a guy, you must be good at DIY type stuff, be good around the house and able to fix things.
That just isn’t the case for me, I hate doing any sort of DIY. I hate it because I’m not good at it. I always knew it wasn’t my strongest skill from growing up, but it became even more clear when Christy and I first moved in together, she wanted picture frames up, curtain poles, she wanted tables and desks put together, and she wanted me to do them. It’s safe to say I was feeling the pressure.
I remember tentatively measuring marks on the wall, double checking them, triple checking them, and probably checking them again, the thought of putting a nail or a screw into the wall in the wrong place and making a mess of it genuinely made me nervous - especially with my new wife looking on full of expectation at how her new, handsome, husband would be able to do these things with ease.
It’s safe to say there were a few things that maybe looked a bit squint, a few nails that needed a little extra tap down with a hammer to make sure the spirit level gave the ‘well done this is straight’ reading.
Then when we moved again just last year, the prospect of going through all of this again was making me nervous once more, more measuring, more hammering and screwing, more dreaded checks of the spirit level. However, this time I had help from various people. Now they may or may not be masters of DIY, but either way it was clear they had hung a lot more pictures than me, put a good few more mirrors on walls than I had and was a lot more confident because of this.
We done every job in our new house a lot quicker and a lot more smoothly than I could’ve done on my own. It was great to have the help of people more experienced and confident than me.
Recalling this whole time makes me think of the similarities between that and living the Christian life. We are all at different stages in our walk with Jesus, some people have been doing it for decades, while others are still early on in this journey.
For those of us who are still relatively new, it can seem daunting and a little bit scary. It can seem like there is a whole load of pressure to get things right straight away. For me, this is where the real beauty of the church can be evident, we aren’t called to be just Sunday church goers who only interact with each other once a week, maybe twice at most. We are called to be a family, brothers and sisters in Christ.
What’s the point of all this? Well its twofold really, for those of us who are young in the faith and still learning the ropes of this Christian life, don’t feel alone, don’t feel like you can’t reach out for help, and in the way I felt more confident and equipped at DIY with help, you can get the support and help you need from those of us who have been living this Christian life a little longer.
For those of us who are maybe a little more seasoned and experienced in this walk with God, offer support, help and encouragement. Offering this to someone really can make a huge difference.
I’ll leave us with this scripture from Hebrews 10:24 - “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”