Renovations – the word holds a very different meaning depending on which end you stand.  On one end it’s the “easier said than done, we can do this ourselves, this will be so fun” promise of a brighter kitchen or revamped bathroom.  On the other end it’s the “wow, that was a lot of work, but I love it so much, I’m so glad we did this” Martha Stewart Living cover page. 

I want to talk today about what lies between the two ends – I want to talk about the middle!

Last year my husband and I started flirting with the idea of a “minor kitchen reno”.  I jokingly asked if he thought our marriage was strong enough to handle it . . . I mean, we have four kids and started our own business – we got this . . . right?!

Well, we have now found ourselves in the very middle of it all and I have to be completely honest – it sucks!  Lol.  Throw out everything you thought you knew from watching HGTV and extreme home makeover – it’s all a lie.  Okay, maybe it’s not all a lie, but I will tell you this much . . . it certainly does not happen in one episode or even one week. 

Renovations can take a long time! 

They are messy!

There are a lot of things you can do on your own, but eventually – you will most likely need a little help.

You have to make room for the change to occur.

Sometimes you have to focus on one thing at a time . . . it doesn’t all happen at once. 

It requires hard work and sacrifice. 

But after all is said and done – it is worth it in the end

Do you ever feel like you need a spiritual renovation?

You might start with fixing a couple of holes in the wall or repainting a bedroom, but I’m thinking bigger.  I’m talking about gutting the kitchen, scraping the popcorn ceilings, maybe even knocking down a couple of walls. 

A few weeks ago, I called my sister in tears – my house looked like the aftermath of a Jurassic Park movie, my to-do list rivaled the length of my Costco receipt and I was trying to decide between Kijiji and Marketplace as to the best site for auctioning off my children . . . it was just one of those days!

As I cried into the phone, she patiently and empathetically listened, then offered the following beautiful words borrowed from C.S. Lewis,

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

And with that I ask again, “do you ever feel like you need a spiritual renovation?” 

To be honest, I hope the answer is “yes”, because we all do. 

This life is a process of becoming.  In the words of one of my favorite country songs, “what matters most is what’s in the middle”.  It’s the day-by-day journey of renovating our souls.  It’s removing the old and tearing out the broken to make space for the new and the whole things in our life, or rather the things that make us whole.  It’s repentance.  It’s constantly striving to change for the better. 

Spiritual renovations are not easy and unlike my kitchen (I hope) they never really end. It is this continual effort and faithful striving that ultimately lead us to our Savior Jesus Christ, the master builder.

And so my friends, please remember that we are all a work in progress – most likely unfinished and a little rough around the edges. And while we undergo this lifelong process together, don’t forget:

Spiritual renovations can take a long time!

They are messy!

There are a lot of things you can do on your own, but eventually – you will most likely need a little help.

You have to make room for the change to occur.

Sometimes you have to focus on one thing at a time . . . it doesn’t all happen at once. 

It requires hard work and sacrifice. 

But after all is said and done – it is worth it in the end.

“And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.” – Enos 1:27 –