Fixer-Upper

I have a soft spot for houses that have potential, or as some people like to call them, fixer uppers. So does my daughter Kaity. She inherited that part of me. I look at a shack and see a mansion. I walk through overgrowth and see a beautiful garden. The viewed as hopeless thrills me; makes my what-could-be senses tingle.  

Not everyone looks at a blank canvas and sees a masterpiece. Thank God. I'm grateful for those of us endowed with the gift of planning and practicality; those not afraid to ask the tough questions. This world needs not only dreamers, but anchors as well. 

My wife and I recently went to look at a house that Kaity and her husband Paul were considering buying. We drove up the slight hill to the house, turned left (eyeing the neighbor's do not trespass sign) and parked on the property. I think my wife's heart may have sunk a little. My heart soared. She saw the work, the investment required, the dirty kitchen stove. I saw a brand new yard, a freshly sanded and stained deck. Potential. 

I knew there would be challenges, she knew it could be something beautiful. Together, we saw reality.

I'm a fixer upper. When God found me, I was run down and neglected. My paint was peeling and all kinds of critters had moved in and made their abode. I was a mess. Drugs. Alcohol. Addiction. Depression. What could God have possibly seen in me to take this project on? 

The same thing He sees in you. Potential. His original plan. His creation. He sees what you can be, with the help of His Son, Jesus. One of the things that Jesus paid for on the cross was your restoration; your reconciliation to the Creator. Think about it. This was the carpenter's son. He took trees and gave them shape and usefulness. He formed chairs, doors and tables by His imagination and the sweat of His brow. 

And so He does with you.

God is a dreamer and a planner. Like my wife, He understands the investment that is required in each of us. And, like my wife, He's not giving up. Like me, His heart soars at the thought of what you will become. He sees you as you were meant to be, not as you are right now. He will form you, He will shape you.

How does God feel about you? Well, here is His heart towards you; how He feels about you and what He will do,

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

But is this a promise you can hold on to? I can only answer, yes, you can hold on to this. For I have to believe, if God can take this man and make him what he is today, He can surely do the same for you.