The boat had been so neglected and damaged by the weather that it was falling apart. All of the seats and interior were literally ripped to shreds. The wood platform on the back end of the boat was sloped and splintered. The buoys on the sides of the slip were tattered and the styrofoam insides exposed. The paint was chipped and dirty. Windshields had water deposits and stained from the elements. It was in sad shape. We both commented and wondered how long it had been sitting there neglected.
It was unfathomable to my husband who is so faithful to wash AND WAX our boat the minute we get home from being in the water. I will have to admit that it is nice to have a boat that still looks like the day it came off of the showroom floor. And I can say that because he always and I need to repeat ALWAYS wipes it down and waxes it on every occasion that the boat is used. Why? Because he values it, he enjoys it, and he has ownership.
So what happened to the boat in the marina? Where is that boat owner? When did he quit caring? Why the neglect? How did it get to this point?
I see a similarity of these two boats in the lives of my Christian brothers and sisters. Some of us are in beautiful shape as we maintain our walk and talk. But others of us are withered or weathered.
Withered means “to shrivel; fade; decay: to lose the freshness of youth, as from age; to make shrunken, or dry, as from loss of moisture; cause to lose freshness, bloom, vigor, etc. to affect harmfully”
We have let things go, and in such a short amount of time we find ourselves torn and splintered. The elements of the world have permeated our thoughts and lives. So what do we do if we find ourselves withered on the inside or weathered on the outside?
1. Come back to the Lord.
2. Pour everything out to Him: hurt, anger, disappointment, and failure.
3. Take one day a time and do one thing a day to restore your walk.
4. Clean up. Do you need to replace something? Sand off rough edges? Put on a coat of wax to fight off the elements? Make Jesus a priority? Ask Him what YOU need to do.
5. Love Him with everything you’ve got!