A fed-up gargoyle- abandoned and swathed in cobwebs. The building is being preserved, but as a showroom of the past instead of its original holy purpose. The expression caught by the sculptor in the stony face, and the resigned air of the arms all serve to brin g out the despair of neglect.
Most visitors probably ignore the small gargoyle, and rush off to “more interesting” exhibits. All that effort and considerable skill by the sculptor- wasted?
There have been times when my inner life has been neglected, and smothered faith in cobwebs.
Yet it has NEVER been too late for a spruce-up; a fresh “call” from God, a dose of repentance, and a bucket of self-awareness, plus a recognition that neglect can be caused by many different factors. This guilt is one of failing to love wholeheartedly.
This is not only my experience. David, King of Israel, gives honest insights into his failures and struggles as he wrote psalms to be used in public worship as well as personal spirituality. Perhaps David’s most famous act of repentance and forgiveness is immortalised in Psalm 51.
“Have mercy on me, O God,
Psalm 51 v1-4
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned…”
David expresses the wonderful truth about God’s grace. v17 “You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.”
Neglect does not have the power of putting us beyond God’s love and mercy. But it is necessary to get rid of our cobwebs and make the way clear again- paying attention to the Lord, His Word, and His Ways is the broom that helps us sweep away the neglect of our souls.
“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” -Psalm 73 v26
The Reflectionary 
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