"HOW TO" BLUES
I have a confession to make-I am a connoisseur of "How To" TV. Bob Vila, to me, is the equivalent of Batman to a 10 year-old boy. I've watched him since his "This Old House" days and in my eyes he's still the "how-to" Guru. But, I also love the new "This Old House" with Steve Thomas and my main man Norm Abram! Norm, you are the Wizard of Wood, the Maestro of Mahogany, the Prince of Pine!
I guess if I were to count the total hours I've spent watching these shows, I imagine that I could have single-handedly built at least a couple of houses from the ground up. But, that estimate is only theoretical since I am as adept with home improvement projects as hippos are at flying. Put a hammer in my hand and my thumbs immediately turn blue! Oh, I may be able to throw some paint on a wall and change a light bulb, but put power tools in my hand and expect some serious damage to anything, living or non, that is unfortunate enough to enter my path of destruction.
I have a couple of theories about the "whys" of my constructional consternation: either I was switched at birth and I am really the child of a remedial renovationist, or my brother, who is a building bigwig, sucked all the "handy" DNA out of my body and reinserted it in his own.
In truth, my handyman blues stems from the fact that I grew up without a dad, mostly in apartments, or rented houses. Without a dad to show me how, and a place in which to practice, I just didn't have the exposure, or the need to learn. More to the point, I never had the money, or the space, to buy all the tools that would make life easier. Let's face it, a butter knife can do a lot of stuff, but when it comes to cutting 2 x 4s, it lacks some of the necessary finesse and power.
With all this confessing and excusing aside, you would still think that being a "how-to" aficionado would let me soak up some practical knowledge, but alas, this just isn't the case. This brings me to the major point of this piece, so read very carefully: there is a big difference between watching someone else do something and doing it yourself. There is also a big difference between being a student and a practitioner.
You can be a passenger in a car for fifty years, but that doesn't make you a good driver--even if you're good at back seat driving! You can watch football, baseball, basketball or any other sport until your wife, or husband, threatens you with the big "D", but that doesn't make you a skilled athlete, or even physically fit. Oh, you may learn the rules of the game, and you may learn how to recognize those who have superior skills in that sport, but no one is ever going to knock on your door and offer you a bazillion bucks to play professionally. So, there is a big difference from being a spectator and a player, a supervisor and a workman.
You know what? This is especially true when it comes to the Church and our faith. Excuse me for being a teeny bit critical, but the way I see it, we have more "how-to" programs then ever before, but we are sadly lacking people who are actually taking those "how-to" lessons and putting them into practice. We have lots of Christians who have read scads of books on effective prayer, but then, do they actually pray? The Church is bloated with students and starved for servants.
One thing I've really come to understand over the years is that Christians grow in their faith by doing. You don't get comfortable in sharing your faith by reading books on sharing your faith (although they may be helpful). No, you get comfortable in sharing your faith, by trusting in God and stepping out and actually sharing the gospel with others. You don't become more gracious, more loving, more caring, by reading books on those topics, you do it by trusting in God and practicing a more loving, caring, gracious way of life. You don't become a better worshiper by reading books on "how to worship"; you become a worshipper when you practically, powerfully encounter the Lord God, your Creator. I think you get the idea. I firmly believe that Christianity is, most of all, a practical faith. You don't grow unless you practice. You don't learn unless you serve. You don't mature in faith, unless you live by faith.
Most of you are aware that we recently moved to Toronto and we have bought our first home. Let me tell you, I've had more "hands-on" experience in the past few weeks then I have had at any other time in my life. I am now, by no means, a "how-to" expert, but I am a bit better at a few things than I used to be. As I painted the entire house, I got better at painting. As I crack filled, I got better at crack filling. As I replaced a few ceiling light fixtures, I got pretty handy with installing light fixtures. I may never be a Norm Abram, but as time and practice are invested, I will get the hang of being handier than I once was.
That's all God wants from us on the issue of living by faith. He wants us to invest the time and the practice in becoming handier with His help. He doesn't require perfection, just a willingness to practice! He wants us to serve, to get involved, to do!
Let me leave you with a challenge-Invest some time and effort into become a hands-on handy man/woman for the Lord. After all,wasn't Jesus the ultimate hands-on wood practitioner?
If you have any questions, or comments, or would just like to talk, click on my name at the bottom of this page. I promise to write you back.
