Transformed

We bought our old house a year and a half ago. It sits in a beautiful spot, very scenic, and handy to town. It was easy to overlook a lot of the shabbiness and needed work when we saw the view from the large picture windows in the dining and living rooms. Since moving in, however, we have experienced the reality of just how much work the place needs.

After a hiatus from renovations of several months, I decided I would paint one of the large upstairs rooms. The former owners had used blue paint on all surfaces; walls, ceiling, doors, and trim. The house is a storey and a half, so the upstairs ceilings have that cozy slanted shape. Cozy didn't describe that blue room, however. The "country" blue paint, and the blue-grey carpet made it seem more like a cave.  Feeling a surge of motivation, I hauled out paint cans and rollers.

Before I got going, though, I wanted to pull up the carpet. Not having decided what kind of floor covering we would have, I wanted to see just what might be underneath. Two layers of rather nasty carpet, some linoleum, and lots of old newspaper (used for insulation?) later, we found some pine floor boards in seemingly reasonable shape. If you could look past the several layers of paint. So we decided we would sand and either paint or verethane them.

Walls, ceiling and trim painted, we got to the rather gruelling task of scraping paint and sanding. We spent nearly a whole day on our hands and knees, using paint stripper and scrapers to get the paint off. My husband gets all the credit for the sanding. He used a belt sander at first, with a coarse grit paper, then when it was time for a finer one, we rented a floor sander. At that point, seeing the boards sanded to reveal their original look, we began to think that the work would indeed be worth it. The boards were just too nice to cover again with paint, and after four coats of high gloss verethane, the results were amazing. Combined with the yellow walls, white ceiling and trim, it is a totally different room, transformed from a depressing cave to a bright and pretty bedroom.

That work was just completed a few days ago. The result was so satisfying that we are going to do the entire upstairs in the same way. Now, whenever I go upstairs, I find myself just standing and admiring the beauty of the floor. I do a "before and after" in my mind, and can't help but be amazed at the transformation. I don't believe it is pride that I feel, but rather a sense of awe at the difference that some just plain hard work made. It's as though we peeled away those layers to find a hidden treasure. The raw material was there, just waiting for someone to bring it to life, and help it to be all that it could be.

This morning as I once again contemplated the beauty of the floor, I thought of how it is so like what God does with us. Sin stained, world weary, and dragging layered years of wrong thinking and living, He begins a wonderful work in us that He has promised to finish. The first layers come off, then begins the real work of scraping and sanding. First a coarse grit, then a successively finer one, until that day when we will stand before Him in a sinless state. Then He will get the glory, as that final product of redemption and restoration is on display for all eternity. Far more beautiful and amazing than anything I can accomplish with some old pine boards.

For I am confident of this very thing, 

that He Who began a good work in you 

will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phil. 1:6 NASB

Starting From Scratch

My husband and I moved to our new home seven months ago. Since that time, we have completed several renovation projects, including the kitchen, bathroom, foyer, den and one bedroom. It has been a hectic time for sure, but the work has been worth it.

When we first saw our house, we realized it would need a lot of attention. It was built in the 1920's, and hadn't had a lot of updates since then. It had been on the market for several months without an offer, and we figure that most people wouldn't want to have to deal with such an extensive "face lift". The house, though humble, is in a beautiful location, and that is what really sold us on it. The "makeover" isn't finished yet, but we look forward to making it our own.

Since moving here, we have been watching a few of the home renovation reality programs that are on television. We are curious to see how others go about fixing those "old house" issues. It's interesting to see people's reactions when they are looking at houses to purchase, even newer ones. So often, they will turn their noses up at a potential home because, for instance, they don't like the color of the paint in a bedroom, or the type of counter top in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the house is beautiful, well built, and shows to perfection. We just shake our head, and laugh, saying "I wonder what they would have said about this place...likely 'tear it down', or 'total gut job'". We are amazed at how fussy people sometimes are, and how they can't see past even the smallest "imperfection" in the houses that they look at.

Recently we hosted a get together for my husband's family. One of them commented that it was a good thing that we could see past what the house was, and envision what it could be. Yes, it did take some imagination, but we knew it could be transformed. It just needed some new life injected into it.

I've been thinking how thankful I am that my Heavenly Father could see past my "imperfections", and envision what I could be in Christ. In my personal renovation, I needed a total "gut job", a whole new heart. And now, He continues to mold and shape me, tearing away my old "infrastructures" and making me more and more dependent on Him. He didn't just paint over the old wallpaper, He stripped it bare, and applied a coat of His own righteousness, with a lifetime guarantee, impermeable, and spotless. The new life He gave me is eternal; I won't ever need any "updates".

What a hope and a promise He gives us, when we come to Him, dilapidated, run down, already condemned. The results are fantastic, not even to be compared with any "reality renovations" that we could see here on this earth. Look to Him to bring you "up to code"; His code of perfect holiness. You can never do it on your own. He is the one and only Master Builder that can.


Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2Cor. 5:17)

A Recipe for Success

I love cookbooks, and recipes in general. When waiting for appointments, I often copy out recipes from magazines in the waiting room, hoping my name isn't called until I finish. Sometimes they make it to the kitchen, but more often they find their way to the garbage or recycle box the next time I clean out my purse. My collection of cookbooks is always evolving; when I find I have too many, I vow not to buy any more, then pull a few to give away. I have a few favourites: "Loony Spoons", "The Best of the Best of Bridge", and my absolute best favourite, "The Purity Cookbook". I bought that little gem the first time hubbie and I went grocery shopping together, just after we were married. It cost, I believe, $2.99 at the A&P store. Its' pages, now falling out, are batter spattered and stained with all kinds of spilled ingredients. Held together with duct tape, (the book, not me :o) I still refer to it for recipes that I made as a newly-wed, nearly 39 years ago. It definitely holds sentimental value, and I won't be giving it away, ever.

I enjoy trying new recipes, though. And if I am feeling confident enough, I will change the ingredients around, just to be creative, or try to improve on the original. Some people claim that they can't cook, but cooking isn't that hard. You can whip up some pretty good dishes, if you have some basic skills, and a good recipe. You just have to follow the directions.

Lately, I have been striving to lose some weight. Now, in addition to cookbooks, my bookshelves have seen a variety of "diet" books come and go. Some were foolish, and unbalanced. Others were sensible, and very do-able. If you just follow the instructions. And after thirty-plus years of "practicing" weight loss, you would think I would have it mastered. After all, the information that I need to be successful has been at my disposal. But it isn't that easy. It's one thing to have the knowledge, still another to put it into practice. That takes discipline, which usually equates to self-denial, in my experience. Oh how I wish that losing weight were as simple as cooking. That I could just follow the directions, and get the desired result.

I find my Christian walk somewhat like that. The Bible is full of instructions. Admonitions, commands, and principles are laid out in Scripture. It`s all there, and I just have to follow the directions to get the desired result. But I don`t always. Because, like dieting, it takes discipline, and self -denial. Not that I look to my performance to earn God`s love or approval. I know that I have that in Christ. But, like every child of God, I would love to see some progress, some victories along the way. My humanity is all too often a stumbling block to success. Like Paul, the thing I want to do, I don`t do, and the thing I don`t want to do, I keep doing. It could cause me to throw in the towel, if it weren`t for the fact that I know my God is working in me, and has promised to finish what He started there. And like Paul, I can say

Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh, the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)

Sharing His Holiness

I love to hang laundry outside to dry. Today was a perfect day for it. The sun was shining and there was a strong breeze that flapped and flipped the clothes all day long. When I brought them in I noticed how soft they were, and wrinkle free, from all that battering. I thought to myself that I wished it were that easy for us to be "soft and wrinkle free", to have a soft heart and be free of sin and struggles. Just go through a wash and rinse cycle, then be hung out to dry on a windy day. But then again, we are in a process of sanctification, each and every day, whether we realize it or not. So it may seem as though we've been "hung out to dry" or spent some time in the dryer on high heat. Or perhaps you've had an experience that more resembles clothes being beaten on a rock. If you belong to God, then you've "been through the wringer" more times than you would like to remember, I've no doubt.

I've had some losses in my life. We have all suffered through them. It's a theme that has been very familiar to me lately. I'm discovering that loss comes in many varieties. With all loss comes grief and mourning, to some degree. We grieve for something that can never be recovered. Loss of life is at the top of the list. I lost my brother three months ago. Since then I have heard stories of other people's losses. There are many ways to lose people from your life. Sickness, suicide, miscarriage, accidents, divorce. We can grieve other losses as well, like the loss of a job, or a relationship, loss of health, opportunities, a beloved pet. We can grieve the loss of a dream that has died, that we know will never come to fruition. When these losses happen, we are sad, we question, we wonder why these things, some of them tragic, happen to us and to those that we know and love. We get angry, depressed, fearful. Hopefully, though, these emotions give way to more positive ones. We come to terms with the loss, we accept it, and best of all, we trust that God has ordained it, and approved it as necessary in our lives.

To come to a place of acceptance can be a struggle. When my brother passed away, I was shocked, hurt, and angry. Angry at him for not taking better care of himself. And I admit that I was also angry at God. I was angry that He had not intervened in my brother's life in the way that I had hoped He would. Thankfully He continues to extend His grace and longsuffering toward me. Of course I have no right to be angry at him, the very thought is ludicrous, and I was the one that needed forgiveness from Him. But in my weak human condition, it was not an unusual response.

Very recently I was reading through Hebrews, and came upon these verses:

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:7-10)

For some reason, the last few words seemed to shout at me, telling me the ultimate purpose for the struggling and suffering that we endure as Believers. It is so that we might become like Him, to actually share in His holiness! It's not as though I didn't already know this. It is one of the main themes in Scripture, the truth that God works in us and around us to conform us more and more into the image of Christ. But coming on the heels of yet another loss, the renewed realization was precious.

Talking to a dear friend this evening, I was saying how I am trying to "think positively" about some recent events. Often, when there is a particularly painful and bewildering upset in our lives, we paint the whole picture black and bleak, with no redeeming features, no light at the end of the tunnel. We might feel that no good can come from the situation, because it is so devastating. Or we might feel that God is punishing us for some unknown reason. We rant, we rail, we question, and wonder if life will ever be the same again. But we do, hopefully sooner than later, remember that, oh yeah, God is in control! He knew this would happen! In fact, He ordained that it should happen, in order to fulfill His purposes in those whose lives were affected! So..........I can let it go, I can thank Him that He is working every detail together for their good, and His glory. I can rest, be still, and know that He is God, and will continue to be God.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Not Finished Yet.............

I received some very disappointing news the other day. Not totally unexpected, but I really was hoping for a different outcome. It has threatened to plunge me into an abyss of hopelessness. But I keep clawing my way back up. I don't want to go there.

I read this verse from a daily devotional this morning:

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." (Psalm 138:8)

The reading was about how God uses suffering to bring us into a place of peaceful submission to His will, after which He will do a great work in us. To quote:

"Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! of losing our own strength, and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus."

Sounds glorious, doesn't it? I can read those types of quotes on a good day and agree with them. But when I am in the midst of a struggle, I say to myself "just wake me up when it's over!" Do you ever feel that way?

Still, we are in His hands, no matter what the circumstance is. We are in process. Just like the young cardinal above, who has a long way to go before he is a glorious red color, we are growing in Christ-likeness. God is doing a work; not outwardly to make us a brilliant crimson against a blue sky, but to perfect in us a sweet smelling savor that will draw the lost, and an inward brightness to be lights in a dark world.