Nailing Down the Loose Planks - Paul M. Williams

Romans 12:1-2 The Williams household dates all the way back to 1896 (it's an old Victorian terraced) and take it from me, there are one or two loose floorboards that without fail, every time you walk over them, you're greeted by the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Creak!  Now please don't misunderstand me; these defects are not foundational — Mr. and Mrs. Creak aren't threatening to undermine the structural integrity of my house, they just like to talk a lot (and I can live with that!).  But you see, that's probably why I never take the trouble to nail them down!  Who wants to be bothered with taking up the carpet to nail a single plank, then have to put it all back down again?  Thus, I choose to live at peace with the Creaks and let them get on with their creaking!  My dear soul, there's a spiritual lesson to all of this. Could it be that some of us have adopted the same nonchalant attitude when it comes to nailing down the loose planks in our lives (bad attitudes, a loose tongue, a heated temper)!  Rather than going through all the trouble of fetching up the carpet to address the matter and nail things for good, we instead choose to live with it.  You may well choose to tolerate it, but God does not and He's asking us to take proactive steps to nail those loose planks so as to come on to the ground of perfection.