Renovations

God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again. Philippians 1:6 NCV

When I was in high school, my parents decided to finally have our kitchen renovated.

I remember weeks of meals prepared in the microwave which temporarily sat atop our dryer, or meals that required no preparation at all. There was dust everywhere. Somehow, simply walking through the kitchen seemed to leave a fine layer of construction dust clinging to my clothes.

It was inconvenient. It was messy. And there was a fair amount of grumbling along the way. I know that because the grumbler was me.

But eventually, we had a beautiful new kitchen.

Renovation is like that.

It's messy before it's beautiful.

Sometimes something must be torn out before something better can take its place.

And once you open a wall, you may discover problems you didn't even know were there.

God's renovation of our hearts can look remarkably similar.

We invite Him to work on our impatience, and He exposes the need for control underneath it. We ask Him to help us forgive, and He reveals a resentment we've been carrying around for years. We ask Him to change our circumstances, but He shows us something He wants to change in us instead.

Apparently, we're doing that room, too.

Some of His work is dramatic. We can look back and clearly see how much He has changed us. Other changes happen so quietly that we barely notice them until one day we realize we're responding differently. Trusting more easily. Forgiving more freely. Worrying a little less.

And just like a home renovation, it always seems to take longer than expected.

We wonder why we're still struggling with something we thought we'd conquered. Why God hasn't changed us faster. Why we're not farther along by now.

But Philippians 1:6 reminds us that God isn't finished.

A contractor eventually packs up his tools, sweeps up the dust, and moves on to the next house.

Jesus doesn't.

As long as you're on this side of Heaven, there will be another wall to open, another old thing to remove, another corner of your heart He wants to make look more like His.

You won't always understand what He's doing. You won't always enjoy the process. Sometimes all you'll see is the mess. But don’t mistake the dust for failure.

The Master Carpenter is still at work.

And He always finishes what He starts.

You are loved!