I picked up my knitting this morning and was working away until I got to a place where I was short one stitch for the pattern. I counted backwards and forwards and the rest of the pattern looked right, but I was still missing a stitch. Then, I saw it. It had dropped 4 rows back and had laddered down like a tear in pantyhose. How had I not noticed that before? There was a problem, and I kept trying to move forward without even noticing until it became a problem that I couldn’t miss.
Life is a lot like that dropped stitch. Things go wrong, but we keep busy and don’t notice the problem until the problem becomes so big we can’t ignore it any longer. Like today, the Magnolia trees on the side of my house have grown so big that they are starting to block people’s view of the road. They needed trimming, but no one noticed until there was an issue with visibility. Now the city wants to trim the branches for better visibility.
Spiritually speaking, this happens too. That little issue God has brought to our attention but we have ignored has grown so big that it is blocking our spiritual vision. We can’t see clearly anymore. Now we need to do some cutting out and pruning. It probably would have been easier to take care of the issue if we had handled it when we first noticed it, but God can handle it even when it’s gotten a little out of hand.
For example, the dropped stitch can be fixed, but first I had to identify the problem. Next, I had to find an instruction video on how to fix it. Then, I worked and practiced until I fixed the problem. Now only I know where the problem used to be. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Identify the problem, go to the instruction book (The Bible), and do what you need to do to fix the problem (confess), and let God make it all new.
Preventive maintenance is a better option, but just remember that nothing is too big for God to handle if we will let Him. It may take a little work, but it is worth it to have clear vision.