But, in doing this project which at times was equal parts agony and ecstasy, I learned a few things. As usual they weren't taught by myself. I was the pupil and it was the Lord who taught me and the revelation He revealed to me was that I, myself, was actually quite similar to this old house. Let me explain, please. Whenever you renovate a building the process is usually like this. You walk through and assess the job. You then create a concept for the transformation of the building. You draw it out then price it for materials and labor. You then commence implementing the plan. Sounds logical right? Ahh, but therein lies the rub. You see once the work starts you often find the hidden problems and in this house there were quite a few. Old houses are not built by today's modern computer designed and cut standards. Walls and floors are notoriously out of plumb. Plaster walls are not the same as drywall to demo. Old wiring and plumbing is well to say the least, dangerous! I found nails in places where screws should have been and visa versa. Hidden compartments, dead critters, leaks and water damage and "Uh oh this isn't gonna work," were more common than not. You would make some progress then hit an obstacle and have to change your design on the fly. In finding this out, I realized a lot about both patience and persistence. Needless to say we adapted, overcame, and worked through everything but at times it was a monumental struggle.
Now does any of this sound familiar? It should because we are that old house and God is doing the renovation. From the time our Father called our bodies into earthly being, He had a plan for us. He designed us, conceived us, built us cell by cell in our mother's womb, then looked down and smiled when we were born. But like all other temporal and earthly designs, we are subject to wear and tear through out our lives. Physical and emotional pain, takes it's toll. The circumstances of life often hurt us to our core. We become worn down and worn out. That's when God has to renovate us. When we strip a wall, or pull out old wiring or plumbing, it's similar to God chastising us. He corrects us by gently but sternly causing us to look within ourselves and remove all the old worn out problems and attitudes and replace them with new, better and more practical aspects of ourselves which reflect His perfect will and desire for our lives. But in order to do this we must commit to the stripping down of our own walls. To taking our own physical and spiritual house down to the foundation and rebuilding it. It is then and only then after removing the old and replacing it with the new, that you become the house that God says, " Now I can dwell in thee." Like the home we renovated, I experienced all the feelings and frustrations God does when He's trying to fix us. But being the Master Builder, He never gives up, always adapts on the fly and with our newly humble attitude, transforms us into a palace fit for the King! So if you want to truly have the perfect home to live in I suggest calling 1-800-NeedGod. He's not on Angie's List but I couldn't find a bad review about Him!
