Loitering

When we first moved into our house, at the bottom of the hill of the neighborhood was a Home Depot. Let me tell you, when you become a new homeowner, having a Home Depot about 1/4 of a mile from your house is quite exciting. Shortly after moving in, we noticed that one of the side effects of having a store where a lot of construction workers came in an out was that behind the building off a side street, transient workers would gather in the morning, hoping for a days work. Some would wait there until the afternoon, only to return the next morning, hoping for work. Maybe some were illegals, probably many weren't, but it's highly doubtful any of these men were hired through proper channels; instead, they were more than likely paid under the table, less than minimum wage, for a day's work.

It was a sad day when they closed the Home Depot. I think I mourned for a month, wearing all black and lighting candles for its demise as I know had to trek to Lemon Grove to go to the next nearest store. That was six to seven YEARS ago. Years. Since that time, the building was razed, the land sat unused for a while, a huge community center was built on the other side of the side street, and now an entire other center has been built where Home Depot used to be, including the only store better than having a Home Depot so close: Starbucks.

I was down there this morning, and guess what I saw? In the same area where workers used to gather, they still gather, hoping for work. It is the strangest thing. Home Depot is LONG GONE. People new to the neighborhood, seeing these workers gather, must ask "Why did they choose this corner to wait for work?" My thought is, how long does Home Depot have to be gone before this train pulls out of the station?!?!

Those that have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their life have this promise from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" What does this mean? It means that the old, destructive habits should be abandoned. The old structures in our lives that worked against the love of God should be razed. Old wounds and scars are to be opened to the healing of the Great Physician. In other words, when the we've truly submitted and given our lives to Christ, we are not to loiter in what once was but move into what now is: a life designed to honor God, walk in the spirit, and grow the kingdom of God. We are no longer tied to what is temporary, unrewarding, and unsure as those workers are day-to-day-- when you've asked Christ to forgive your sins and allowed God into your life, you've stepped into the eternal, rewarding, and dependable position of being a child of God.

If you are mired in something from your past or what the world has to offer, STOP LOITERING! You are missing out on what God has for you!