Welcome to The Repair Shop

Several months ago, we stumbled on a wonderful little show on the BBC called The Repair Shop. The premise of it is that people can bring in their broken and time-worn treasures and a team of incredible craftsmen and women repair them. It takes place in what looks to be an old thatched-roof barn that, even from the outside, looks like a place you would expect magic  and miracles to happen. And with each episode, I am more convinced that is exactly what is happening there.

People don’t bring phones or electronics or lawnmowers to get fixed, at least not in the typical sense. In this repair shop, people are bringing things that have history and sentimental attachment far more than modern intrinsic value. In our throw away society, this little show celebrates and repairs the items that tie us to our families, our past, and our legacy. Every item is handled with such compassion and skill, as are the owners of those items when they tell their stories of where the item came from and what it means to them. There are frequently tears of joy when they come back to collect their treasure as the transformations are always quite remarkable.

The team of craftsmen are as varied as the items that are brought with each one having a unique skill and talent. Many times they work together as their combined skills are needed for some items, but each one has an incredible gift that is all their own, too. There is a woodworker, a clock smith, a master saddler, an art conservator, jewelers, and toy repairers, affectionately referred to as “the teddy bear ladies” as well as many more. They are not professions that are typically celebrated in society, but they should be. The artistry and talent that they possess to execute the repairs is truly inspiring.

This past Sunday, I was listening to a sermon about how Jesus called and sent out such an unlikely group of misfits to share the message of the Gospel and to heal the sick. Each of the disciples was imperfect, some were even hated. But Jesus equipped them with exactly what they needed to heal the broken, show compassion and teach them the transforming power of God’s love. Just like the broken items coming into the Repair Shop to be fixed by a gifted artisan, each of us can come broken to Jesus and be healed.

There are so many wonderful moments and lessons in The Repair Shop that I’d like to spend some time exploring them. Over the next weeks, maybe months, I am going to share some of the things that touch my heart in hopes of them touching yours as well. I hope you come back, grab a cup of tea, and settle in.

We, too, are each given a gift to heal others, with empathy, with compassion, and with kindness. There is a saying that God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. Each of the craftsmen in the Repair Shop always tells the client, “I’ll do my best.” I think that is all Jesus asks of any of us, that we do our best. And when we feel a little broken, we can always run back to His arms and maybe even hear, “Welcome to the Repair Shop.”