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. 

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 2, 2016 at 4:47 PM

    Great story, Joe! Grateful God doesn't give up on us!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownAugust 2, 2016 at 4:47 PM

    Great story, Joe! Grateful God doesn't give up on us!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Sometimes dreams must die. Dreams never realized can be heartbreaking, but there's nothing that leads to that craggy road called discouragement more directly than dreams realized and then lost. The hope of marriage broken on the rocks of disappointment and conflict. Booming investments in the market tail spinning into oblivion on the comment of a high political official. God's promises realized seemingly put to bed for good.  Seemingly.  I want to give you hope. She is just sleeping. The young vibrant female we call hope is not dead. She is just sleeping. But she needed to lay her head down into a lifeless slumber, lest, we come to trust in her instead of Someone greater. There's a story of a rich woman, a childless woman. Her lifelong and dormant dream was to give birth to a child. It was a hope for her, a dream; a good dream. Many of us are like her. We hope, but never get our hopes too high, lest they be disappointed; lest we be let down into the overwhelming mir
Read more
The Promises of God If God makes a promise, can you depend on it? Does He have the power to carry out what He says He will do? Is His word trustworthy? Those of us who know God will quickly answer yes. We know that God is not only powerful, He is also faithful. So what about that cold that we’ve been battling for the past two weeks, or what about the glaucoma, the cancer, the emotional issues, the mental hangups? The anxiety. Doesn’t God promise that He will heal all of our diseases? I know of Christians that have been healed, but I also know of those who have gone to their grave with their disease, and even at times, because of it. Why the disconnect? Has God forgotten some while healing others? Why does tragedy strike some who have faith in God while skirting around others? Before I answer that question (it’s really one question), let’s look at the Scripture to see what it has to say about the promises of God. Here are three things we can say about His promises - The promises of God
Read more
Image
Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights in whom there is no shifting shadow. Salvation is a gift from God. But can your salvation be lost? Is it that fragile? Is it not a gift? You didn't earn it, did you? Is it not by His doing that you abide in Him? "But", you may ask, "I could lose a gift, couldn't I?" Let me ask you a question, when was the last time you misplaced your house?  Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." God has gifted you a house, a dwelling place in His heaven. That is salvation; living with Him forever. Salvation is a gift from God, and it is a good gift given by a good Giver. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. How could there be any flaw in His gift? Is He one to deceive or mislead? Does God mis-ma
Read more