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…
