Recently, during a gospel meeting, I stayed in the home of my good friends, Ken, and Marlene Pittman. It was great to be with them. Ken served as an elder for the Thayer Street church of Christ where I previously preached for seven years.
One day during the week I took notice of the beautiful fence Ken had around his backyard. What stood out significantly was the condition of his neighbor’s fence that at one point came right up to Ken’s fence. While Ken’s fence looked, not only nice and new, but also strong and sturdy, his neighbor’s fence looked terrible. The wood looked old and weak and like it could fall over at any moment. To my surprise, Ken told me that the fences were put up close to the same time. If I remember correctly, there was only a few months that separated the time that they were built.
How could fences that were relatively the same age look so different—one maintaining the beauty of a brand-new fence, while the other looking like it had seen its best days, worn out and ugly. The answer is simple—Ken took the time to protect his investment by treating the wood with the proper protective stain. Yes, it took some hard work, and hours of labor, to stain the fence, but what a difference a little preventative maintenance makes. This truth applies, not just to fences, but to life in general.
Do you want to have a good marriage? If so, you must protect it from the wear and tear of everyday living. Cover your marriage with a protective coat of love and understanding. Make a habit early on to treat your spouse the way you want to be treated. We call that living by the golden rule (Matthew 7:12). Peter exhorted husbands to live with their wives in “an understanding way” (1 Peter 3:7), and both husbands and wives must learn, and the sooner, the better, to love each other, not just in word or talk, but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).
When husbands and wives truly love each other, always acting in the best interest of each other, and they do their best to understand each other’s feelings, especially in stressful situations, the harsh weather of life will not rob the marriage of its original beauty and strength.
Another area where a little preventative maintenance will go a long way is with the condition of our souls and overall spiritual health. Being a strong Christian does not just happen automatically. The salvation of our souls is maintained by applying proper care. We protect our souls, and remain strong in Christ, by studying God’s Word (Colossians 3:16), focusing on spiritual things (Colossians 3:1-2), and never ceasing to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we do these things, the devil may try to devour us, but he will end up fleeing from us because of our resistance and his inability to penetrate our protective armor (Ephesians 6:10-18).
One more example of the usefulness of preventative maintenance can be seen in our local churches. Strong local churches are strong because they take the proper measures involved being so. This includes having good Bible classes where both the young and the old are being taught the Word of God properly. It involves making sure that the membership has a good understanding of the importance of Bible authority and how to establish it. And, just like with our marriages, it includes being covered with a protective coat of love and understanding when it comes to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
What a difference a little preventative maintenance makes in our lives. It may involve some hard work, but in the end, it is more than worth it.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.