Parallels: Home and Spiritual Renovation— What Home Improvement Programs sometimes gloss over
(This is part of a series on what I learned through the process of renovating our home, and the parallels to a life yielded to and experiencing God’s work in renovating our life and spirit)
By their nature, most television home improvement shows, although inspiring and entertaining, speed up the time frame of each stage of the renovation project. For example, demolition happens in a few seconds and then, voila! The space is clean and ready for new construction. This fast-motion technique is used so a program will fit into an allotted airtime.
The reality is that there are mundane but very important aspects of renovation projects that can take a lot more time than TV shows present. Among them is cleaning—and then keeping clean—the spaces being renovated. Although I wished it could happen in fast motion like on TV, the reality is that I typically spent an extra 30 to 60 minutes at the end of each day putting away tools, picking up scrap lumber and nails, discarded wiring, and other construction debris. When I was done with those tasks I swept and vacuumed the area. This was necessary to reduce potential hazards—including construction dust—to my family, contracted workers, and myself.
I also spent significant time sorting and recycling materials that could be re-used, and then regularly brought the rest of the debris to a waste collection site near our house. I learned that doing a little cleanup everyday reduced the stress and scope of a large-scale cleaning project that would have weighed heavily on my mind and emotions. Video footage of my clean-up work wouldn’t make it on any home improvement program, but it was essential to the progress of the basement and porch construction work.
Regular clean-up work is part of spiritual renovation as well.
Our relationship with God is founded solely on His grace and mercy—not our futile attempts and efforts to win His approval. With that stated, however, there is a co-operative aspect to growing with and in God. Cleaning up toxic spiritual debris and habits from our lives flows out of authentic intimacy with God. As God reveals to us things that need to be removed from our being (and the things that He wants to there instead), He promises to provide His strength and help. But God also asks us to respond and do the work—even the hard things— He puts in front of us. I don’t know what cleanup work God puts before you today. Here are a few possibilities:
It may be repairing a broken relationship…Or moving away from unhealthy relationships.
It may be asking for forgiveness from someone we have hurt…Or forgiving someone who has hurt us.
It may be taking a little less time filling our minds with toxic news and media…and more time with God in prayer, bible-based studies, media, and groups.
It may be walking away from unhealthy streaming sites…Or fasting from and seeking accountability for future viewing online and TV sources
It may be analyzing the words that come out of our mouth…and allowing God to rewire our heart and mind so our language reflects who we now are in Christ.
It may be moving more and more away from the “me” focus of life…And moving more and more towards serving God and the people He puts in our path.
If you’re like me there will always be areas in need clean up and maintenance. On our own we can’t do this but remember: We are not alone in this process. God is with us, for us, and in us to accomplish all that He puts in front of us. Part of my time with God each morning is to ask for and receive His cleansing over my heart, mind, and life. The Bible tells us that God is ready and willing to wash us clean of all the spiritual dirt we have accumulated, not just once but every day. The Bible tells us God’s compassion and mercy for us is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), so don’t hesitate to run to Him for cleansing!
The prayer the Apostle Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi is the reminder and prayer I also offer for you:
“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God…There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” (Philippians 16, The Message)
Even in the mundane work, God is at work in and through you!
God bless you!
Chris Atkins