Over 25 years ago, my husband and I bought a house in a small town that was
built in 1907. We were four years out of college, starting our own business,
and he had just quit a stable job at a large, national engineering company.
Because we did not have a steady income or really any income at all, we did not
qualify for a conventional loan. We had to empty our entire savings account to
make the 20% down payment on the owner-carried contract for the house. It had
been empty for over two years and was being used as a storage unit by the
previous owner. When we viewed the house, you could only walk via a narrow path
through all of the “stuff” that filled the house. Walking through the basement
was not an option. We purchased it and moved in with two very young children. The
house was under new ownership, ours. It was our intent to clean it, repair it,
and remodel it. We believed that we could make it a beautiful home. Little did
we know how long that process would take.
When we come to know Jesus in a personal way, we are under new ownership. “Do you not know that your bodies are
temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from
God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” (1 Corinthians
6:19-20) He makes many promises to us, one of which is that we are new
creations. “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone,
the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
And so we started the process of transforming our new home –
very, very slowly. We had time available as we tried to grow our new business
and waited for the clients to come. But, we had no money, so we started simply.
Our first project was to clean up what we could, inside and out. Inside, we
scrubbed and dusted. Outside, we pulled out weeds, removed dead and overgrown
shrubs, and planted new plants. Our second project was to put in a sprinkler
system. In order for the new plants to grow, they would need a consistent
supply of nourishment and water. This project required more time and less money
than most other things that needed to be done. We focused on what we could do
with our limited resources.
When we come to Christ, we are a new creation – we just may
not look like it. We are under construction, a work in progress. Our position
before Christ is new, but the visible changes may take some time. God promises
that this is happening. “And we all, who
with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory,
are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) The
process takes time and effort on our part; it does not happen magically. “Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good,
pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) We must choose to find our
nourishment in God’s word and in Christ. “But
blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is
in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots
by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always
green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
(Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Over the last 25 years, we have slowly
transformed our house. Some projects were minor: painting walls, refinishing a
wood floor, replacing carpet. And, though minor, they were not free and took
effort on our part. Other projects cost us more, required outside help, and
took much longer: removing a rotten roof and substructure (as well as the rest
of the 2nd floor), rebuilding the second floor, adding central
heating to the entire house, adding plumbing to the upstairs and replacing
existing plumbing, siding the house, roofing, replacing all of the windows,
blowing insulation into existing exterior walls. And during the entire process
it has been our home, and in it we raised four wonderful children. It is both
peaceful and beautiful, but it is not finished. Sometimes I can be discouraged
by what is not yet done and lose sight of what has already been transformed. I
need to choose to be thankful for the beauty around me and trust that it will
one day be “complete” or as complete as a house subject to the laws of nature
can be. In the meantime, I can choose to focus on the 95% of the house exterior
that is finished, or I can choose to focus on the front porch that needs to be
replaced. I can choose to focus on the 90% of the interior that is done with
new/remodeled bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, dining room, and deck, or I can
choose to focus on the original kitchen and the unfinished trim throughout the
house. I can choose to be thankful for what has been accomplished and continue
to work diligently to finish the rest, in time.
Similarly, we can choose to be discouraged because we still fail Jesus Christ
or because we are still not the person that we would like to be. We may still
struggle with attitudes or actions that make us and others unhappy. But, if we
continue to submit ourselves to Christ, “we
know that in all things God works for the good
of those who love him, who have been called according to
his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) And, we can move forward every day, “being confident of this, that he who began a
good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
God bless,
Deborah Bell
Comments
Post a Comment