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Scripture

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

Proverbs 22:6

Reflect

We’ve all been there… it’s Monday night and you’re getting ready to watch some football, when your big plan to be a star husband and do the dishes backfires…standing water in the bottom of your dishwasher, and it smells like death! Ok, maybe, just maybe, this actually happened to me and not “a friend of mine”.  I’m suddenly faced with two choices: call a professional to fix the issue, or start taking things apart and pretending like I know what I’m doing until I finally look up solutions on YouTube.

Although I may have chosen option number two mostly out of pride, I would suggest there can be more benefit to handiwork than meets the eye. Here are a few things I’ve learned about being handy around the house:  

1. It’s a great way to avoid having “idle hands”. Scripture condemns idleness (Ecclesiastes 10:18), while also commending diligence (Proverbs 12:24, 13:4). Now hear me out. I’m not saying that anyone who isn’t handy around the house is lazy and sinning. Instead what I’m suggesting is that handiwork can be an opportunity to ensure that we don’t slip into idleness. Choosing the offensive approach to combat, rather than a defensive reaction to temptation. So instead of watching a TV show, or aimlessly bouncing around the internet, choose to look into that frustrating gate latch that you’ve been ignoring for two years.
2. It can be a cool opportunity to teach your kids useful skills. Proverbs 22:6 says to “train up a child in the way he should go”, and although I believe this is most importantly speaking toward training children in the truth of God’s Word, I also believe this can be applied to training our kids to be good stewards of their households. I am very thankful my dad knows how to do so many different things, but I’m even more thankful he passed some of those skills on to me and continues to do so today. From making gas/oil mix for yard work to fixing toilets and sink fixtures, I wouldn’t know what to do without the experience of working alongside my dad. This also proved to be relationship building for us… another added benefit from this time spent together.
3. It’s a practical way to impress serve your wife. God commands husbands to love their wife “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25-33). Scripture also says that Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). As men, we are to love and serve our wives, and through being “Mr. Fix It” around the house I see ample opportunity to love and serve in practical ways on an everyday basis. Can I sustain my marriage by changing out the rubber seals on my shower fixture? Of course not. But can small acts of service demonstrate love? Try it and find out. You can even try using this as an opportunity to serve and love a friend in need.

As many of us have heard before, it’s not always about what we do, but instead why and how we do it. Being a handyman at home won’t solely change your life for the better, however how and why you choose to do so just may bring about some positive results in your relationship with God and others.

Camper Corner

Have you ever seen dad fix (or build) something around the house? How do you think he learned how to do that? Ask your dad to teach you how to do a couple of those things.

Here’s the link to an interesting article about Jesus being a carpenter’s son.