Yep, that's my house and yes it's getting a whole new exterior. After nearly fifty years, this old house has seen a lot of remodeling and renovation and right about now your asking, is this a Christian blog or a home remodeling one? Both.
We all have a story of some kind about a fixer upper project we've tackled at one point in our lives. For me, I've had many. They disrupt and inconvenience your daily life to the point of aggravation and sometimes anger. Yet the results after are usually worth the struggles. Our walk in Jesus is very much like a home remodeling. Let me explain. When we first come to Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit, they need to do some remodeling within our heart. We've gone from a sinful selfish nature to their nature and that transition doesn't happen overnight. In some cases, transformations in certain aspects of people's lives do change right away but the deep issues take time.
The Holy Spirit is like a home inspector and general contractor. Jesus is the architect and foreman and God owns the construction company. When we come to them, the Holy Spirit does an immediate assessment of your heart, the home of your soul. He makes a list of all the things that needs to be redone. Some of the code violations, He'll get to work on immediately. The way He works, He doesn't just slap a coat of paint over mold, He rips it all out and replace it with new.
The blueprint of life is faith, hope and love. Our heart, mind and soul must match those things in order to be a properly built house for God to dwell in. Remember, God wants to dwell among His people again like He did in the Garden of Eden. Because of our sin, we became inhabitable for Him. Then Jesus comes along and basically does like any good contractor would do, He gets the permits to do the construction needed on our house. All we have to do is recognize that we live in a failing home and it needs help, lots of help.
Once called upon, the Holy Spirit starts ripping out old, to get ready for the new. Rot, mold, holes in the walls, water damage, leaks, electrical issues and outdated designs are all going to be replaced over time.
I've personally have been under construction for over twenty years now and a lot has changed in this old house. I'm not who I was and I'm not quite who I need to be so the work continues. Speaking of work, did you know you work hand in hand with them to help remodel your house. It's your home, they will not start on any remodeling until you are on board with it. They hand you a list of needed things to be done but you must sign the contract that says it's OK to do the work. Some folks think that home renovations are automatically done and when you sign the initial contract, yes some things get cleaned up right away. Maybe the yard and landscaping is done first, perhaps a coat of paint on the outside. For some, curb appeal, is enough for them. They ignore the deep issues within and choose to have the outside look good. However, like any home, if there's an interior issue, it will compromise the entire structure over time. Those issues, no matter how much the cost, need to be taken care of. God won't dwell in a compromised house, all issues must be dealt with.
For me, this all hits home, literally. I know I've been speaking metaphorically but the analogy works. We are a house and in our house, there is rot and ruin that needs to be taken care of. When we come to Jesus in faith and accept Him as our savior, we also accept the fact that He's going to point out everything wrong with us through the Holy Spirit. Like home projects, some are easier to repair than others and get done quickly. Then there's those issues deep within that require ripping and cutting and removing of old roting structure that we've lived with for so long. That type of work could take weeks, months or years to fix. It all depends on our willingness to get rid of it.
Ever cleaned out a closet? You pull all the stuff out in an attempt to organize and get rid of all the stuff you've crammed in it over the years. In the end, nothing gets removed because you can't bring yourself to get rid of that jacket you wore twenty years ago. You hold onto stuff because it brings back memories. The process of cleaning out a closet or remodeling a house is the same as us cleaning out our heart. Without us realizing it though, we hang on to old junk like hate, anger, unforgiveness and more because they are comfortable to us. Construction and remodeling are very uncomfortable and we avoid acknowledging our issues so we can avoid getting rid of them. Our construction team will not work unless we let them. They are there to show us what needs to be fixed and we must say yes in order for the work to be done.
We could spend a long time in this but the gist of it is this. Do not hesitate to ask for the Holy Spirit to do an assessment on your home. Let Him point out your issues to you. Then work with Him to tear out the rot and replace it with new. Trust me it's a painful process but so worth it in the end. The end will definitely out weigh the process.
I hope you didn't get too lost in all the back and forth analogies. It's how my brain is wired. Anyway, I hope this may get things rolling between you and God. Ask Him to show you your issues, confess to the issue He shows you. Humble yourself and ask Him to remove it from you and work with Him to do so. Sounds simple. With some things, yes. With others no. Just depends on how deep the issue is. Trust the process, it'll be worth it in the end.
To God Be The Glory!
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