The past two weeks, my home has been undergoing some remodeling. Yes, I’m excited about the end product, but the journey to get there has not always been pleasant. As I walk through this process, God is showing me similarities between house remodeling and spiritual growth. Here are a few thoughts from these two weeks:
1. You may want to quit before you get to the finished product.
There have been times during these past two weeks when I wanted to say, “Enough. Let’s just stop here. I can’t take anymore!”
There are times in the Christian life when I am tempted to quit the journey God has me on because it’s too challenging. I begin to question if it’s worth it, and I convince myself that I don’t need to go any further. But if I quit, I miss all that God has in store for me.
2. It’s inconvenient and uncomfortable at times, but the end result is worth it.
I had to use my guest bathroom while my master bathroom floor was being redone, and it was an inconvenience. It was awkward, and I didn’t like it. I had to keep reminding myself of the end result and that this was only temporary.
Spiritual growth, like remodeling, stretches me and takes me out of my comfort zone. It can be uncomfortable at times, but the process is necessary in order to experience something far better in the end.
3. It’s not going as quickly as I’d like.
Inevitably in remodeling, the process doesn’t tend to go as scheduled. There’s always a glitch, a delay, something unexpected that comes up, slowing things down. Why can’t it go faster?
In the same way, I want spiritual maturity…today! But spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, and there are delays—delays caused by circumstances out of my control or by my actions. I have to learn patience – with home remodeling and spiritual growth.
4. It gets messy.
In the midst of remodeling, I see dust all over the place that wasn’t there before or I hadn’t seen before. I can either ignore it and let it build up until I can’t stand it anymore, or I can wipe up the dust daily to keep it from getting out of control.
It’s the same way in my spiritual life. As I grow more like Christ, He will show me “dust” in my life—not to discourage me, but to prompt me to deal with it and confess it. I have to make a choice: clean it up as God shows me sin, or ignore it and let it get out of control.
5. It’s never finished.
When I remodel a room, it never seems to be finished. There’s always something else that can be done beyond the original goal. So I just keep remodeling…
In the Christian life, we never arrive at spiritual maturity and achieve Christ-likeness while we’re on this earth. There’s always more to be done. Only when we see Him face to face will the spiritual renovation in our lives be done.
Perhaps you’re in the middle of (or just finished) renovation on your home. What are some spiritual analogies God has taught you in the process?
