In a conversation similar to home renovation TV programs I view, a friend said this: "There was a lot more wrong than we thought. We tore up the carpet and" Let's hope that these new owners of an old house really are interested in re-doing the place to suit their tastes. If not this could be an exercise in frustration.
Lately we've been taking daily drives past a couple of new houses being built just up the hill from us. Perched on a lot overlooking the Strait of Georgia, the views are spectacular. The progress of those two homes, however, can only be compared to the tortoise and the hare. One has been under construction for months; the other, more like weeks. They are both carpenters' works of art - it's just that one has taken so much longer than the other to reach almost the same stage. Once completed, however, I doubt that renovations will need to be done anytime soon.
Both examples have had me thinking about how God deals with His children, His "works under construction". For some of us the list of renos that need to be completed is exhaustive, sometimes painful and exceedingly costly. Old habits and wrong attitudes don't change easily. Moving things around, tearing down walls of separation between us and God or us and others is a huge job and the price paid at Calvary cannot be duplicated.
Just as two houses are taking varying times to complete, God works with us as individuals, never cutting corners as builds our lives to reflect His glory. It takes a lifetime but it lasts for eternity.
"Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord." Ephesians 2:21 (CEV)
Feeling the pain of construction? Think of the end result!
