Is Your House Ready For Company?

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

—Psalm 139:23

“I should have company more often,” I heard myself say, as I recounted to my friend my efforts to make my house presentable for my family dinner.

I had stressed over hosting the event ever since my siblings and I came up with the idea back in March—the idea of taking turns hosting a dinner for all of us, including Mom and Dad. With October being my month, I had seven months to get used to the idea of opening my home to everyone. Usually, I don’t entertain. My house is small, which makes it difficult to accommodate large groups. But there are other reasons. My house is not in tip-top shape. All summer I agonized over what needed to be done before my family came knocking: paint, install new flooring, yard work, clean the siding, stain the deck, scrub the porch, and more. All summer I agonized over not having the money, the energy, or the know-how to do it all. I realized that some of the jobs had to be crossed off the list. But still, I wanted my house to look nice for the get-together.

When Your Sign Falls Apart

Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it.

—2 Corinthians 13:5a 

My mouth flew open and I stopped the car and stared. What on earth?

Right there before my eyes was the wreckage of my former house number sign. I got out the car to examine the mess. A closer inspection revealed that the nails had popped out of place, causing the boards to collapse. Apparently, changes in the weather and exposure to the elements had caused the wooden boards to swell. Over time, the swelling pushed out the nails.

Now what? I’m not handy with tools, but I know the sign must be repaired—for the same reason it was installed. A number of years ago all residents of our rural county were ordered to post house numbers, mainly for location identification purposes for first-responders to a 9-1-1 call. Even though responders can now rely on GPS, having a sign for location confirmation is still helpful.

I stood there gaping at the remains and wondered how I never noticed the boards were pulling away. Perhaps if I had taken the time to inspect it regularly…