Most things in our life require some form of maintenance.
Our properties, homes, vehicles, and bodies will quickly start showing signs of decline if not attended to. We all likely have methods in place to keep things on track… Calendars, notifications, and pre-planned checkups all act as a means to ensure we take the preventative measures needed to avoid problems. We know the outcome if these prompts are ignored… costly and time consuming at best.
But what about those areas in our lives that require maintenance and aren’t as obvious? Perhaps we don’t even realize our attention is needed…

Much like the physical heart which resides within our chest, our spiritual heart also requires checkups and care. Over time, if not monitored, the outcome will be similar to that which we would experience if our physical health was neglected… simply put, life-threatening.
Why is it then if this part of us is so critical, we have no maintenance plan in place and often are blind to the warning alerts when they are going off? Likely it’s been months or years since we last had a check up, and it shows. Our hearts are heavy and clogged, in need of a flush, our relationships are strained, in need of a tuneup and our faith is feeling distant… maybe even non-existent.

Men, let’s be honest, we are falling apart and feeling the lack of maintenance all throughout our lives, which is why most days we are discouraged and disengaged.
The reality is that unlike dental cleanings or an oil change, the areas that matter most, will also require the most attention and maintenance; an annual appointment is simply not going to cut it. Sure, we can go on disregarding the obvious warnings; but like a blown engine or emergency health crisis that was put off, its only a matter of time before reality comes knocking.
Instead, why don’t we gain some control over these areas and treat them with greater importance than the hunk of metal sitting in our driveway.

2 Corinthians 13:5 says, we should ‘examine (or check) ourselves…’

So let’s put a maintenance plan together and stick to it. We would be wise to become familiar with the warning lights that will notify us when attention is needed. If we need service reminders, why not reach out to a brother to help us keep things on track.
Undoubtedly, we will quickly start feeling the benefit of these core maintenance plans in our lives…we are surely long overdue.