God's Process
Sometimes God's process is messy.
I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and it can be wearying. Stuff everywhere. When you replace cabinets, you have to put their contents somewhere while you're replacing them. When you replace the sheet-rock on your walls, you have to deal with dust and you have to look at studs for a while. It's nothing to complain about, really; a new room is a blessing. But getting there can evoke irritation over the current mess and a desire to have everything finally completed.
And so it is with us. There is chaos in the midst of God's reconstruction of the areas of our lives. We call this sanctification and it's a process and it gets messy. None of us likes chaos. (Well, maybe there are some of us that do!) When you realize how much you lack in patience, kindness, and unselfishness, God goes to work. And it can get ugly. When you see your addiction for what it really is, God begins to break down the walls and it's dusty and dirty. When you call your sin what it really is - sin, God starts to replace it with grace and it's a complete remodel of your thinking. Change is not easy.
I just finished a remodel of my formal dining room into a study. I was committed to it. The Holy Spirit is committed to our reworking. Night after night, on weekends, it seemed the work would never stop. The most difficult part of the project was when it was nearing end. It would have been so easy to say, good enough. But I am now typing this blog in my study. And can I let you in on a little secret? It's not perfect. I see the flaws that no one else may see. I see the mistakes. But it's beautiful and it's comfortable and I love just sitting there and enjoying His presence, His word, and a good cup of coffee.
It took time, it took perseverance, it took effort. And so it is with us, for it is God who is at work in us. And know this, God is often more patient with us than we are with ourselves.
Are you in the middle of a remodel? Chaos everywhere? Has it been weeks? Months? Maybe years? Don't be sad, don't be discouraged, don't give up. God isn't and He hasn't. He's in the middle of a beautiful remodel called your new life. In the storehouse of your heart are beautiful cabinets, lamps, flooring, doors, and paint. And the Lord is bringing all of those things out, but before He does, He is deconstructing so He can reconstruct.
Know this, God is not looking for perfection. That will come when we see Him as He is. Right now, you are His child, and as with every child, He disciplines and corrects, and remodels. I can't wait to see what your room looks like when it's finished. I know it's going to be beautiful.
Sometimes God's process is messy.
I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel, and it can be wearying. Stuff everywhere. When you replace cabinets, you have to put their contents somewhere while you're replacing them. When you replace the sheet-rock on your walls, you have to deal with dust and you have to look at studs for a while. It's nothing to complain about, really; a new room is a blessing. But getting there can evoke irritation over the current mess and a desire to have everything finally completed.
And so it is with us. There is chaos in the midst of God's reconstruction of the areas of our lives. We call this sanctification and it's a process and it gets messy. None of us likes chaos. (Well, maybe there are some of us that do!) When you realize how much you lack in patience, kindness, and unselfishness, God goes to work. And it can get ugly. When you see your addiction for what it really is, God begins to break down the walls and it's dusty and dirty. When you call your sin what it really is - sin, God starts to replace it with grace and it's a complete remodel of your thinking. Change is not easy.
I just finished a remodel of my formal dining room into a study. I was committed to it. The Holy Spirit is committed to our reworking. Night after night, on weekends, it seemed the work would never stop. The most difficult part of the project was when it was nearing end. It would have been so easy to say, good enough. But I am now typing this blog in my study. And can I let you in on a little secret? It's not perfect. I see the flaws that no one else may see. I see the mistakes. But it's beautiful and it's comfortable and I love just sitting there and enjoying His presence, His word, and a good cup of coffee.
It took time, it took perseverance, it took effort. And so it is with us, for it is God who is at work in us. And know this, God is often more patient with us than we are with ourselves.
Are you in the middle of a remodel? Chaos everywhere? Has it been weeks? Months? Maybe years? Don't be sad, don't be discouraged, don't give up. God isn't and He hasn't. He's in the middle of a beautiful remodel called your new life. In the storehouse of your heart are beautiful cabinets, lamps, flooring, doors, and paint. And the Lord is bringing all of those things out, but before He does, He is deconstructing so He can reconstruct.
Know this, God is not looking for perfection. That will come when we see Him as He is. Right now, you are His child, and as with every child, He disciplines and corrects, and remodels. I can't wait to see what your room looks like when it's finished. I know it's going to be beautiful.
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