This Old House
It was one of the most relaxing moments in my life. Lounging near a pool with my sister in the warm sunshine of Mexico. She brought a stack of magazines. I thumbed through one that was filled with how-to instructions on upping the charm of outdated homes. Some of the ideas were as simple as fresh coats of bright colors of paint that would serve to compliment the personality of the architecture and others involved total remodeling. Being the creative type, my mind began whirling with excitement.
It wasn't just the decorative inspiration that spurred my emotions, but the idea of newness - (or the appearance thereof). Having recently begun a new chapter of life, there's a deep desire to experience such an improvement inside (renovation of character) and out (fresh paint). "Yes", I thought to myself, "this aging house could definitely use a new look".
Admittedly, it's much easier to throw on a new color and ignore the broken down emotions. In fact, I believe many people do that very thing, hoping no one ever looks at the inside. We can lock that door and never let anyone in. As long as we look good on the outside, those around us might actually believe that everything is neatly put together on the inside as well. Nothing to see here... move along.
I used to work at a place designing "facades" - fake store fronts for movie sets. At times we would also renovate just the outside of old diners which we called "facelifts".
Of course, Jesus can see right through the masks we wear. He once confronted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."
Contrast that with the transformed lives of His followers; ordinary people who were no different than the rest of us but who knew that Jesus held the key. As stated so well by the Apostle Peter, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68).
Genuine renovation of ourselves, our attitudes, who we really are - is not something we're capable of doing. That kind of makeover requires the wrecking ball of God and complete reconstruction from the ground up. We must trust Him to do so, knowing that what will emerge will be more beautiful than we could ever imagine, inside and out, fully changed by the Master Renovator.
Oh what a day that will be when we're finally made new, through and through!
It wasn't just the decorative inspiration that spurred my emotions, but the idea of newness - (or the appearance thereof). Having recently begun a new chapter of life, there's a deep desire to experience such an improvement inside (renovation of character) and out (fresh paint). "Yes", I thought to myself, "this aging house could definitely use a new look".
Admittedly, it's much easier to throw on a new color and ignore the broken down emotions. In fact, I believe many people do that very thing, hoping no one ever looks at the inside. We can lock that door and never let anyone in. As long as we look good on the outside, those around us might actually believe that everything is neatly put together on the inside as well. Nothing to see here... move along.
I used to work at a place designing "facades" - fake store fronts for movie sets. At times we would also renovate just the outside of old diners which we called "facelifts".
Of course, Jesus can see right through the masks we wear. He once confronted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."
Contrast that with the transformed lives of His followers; ordinary people who were no different than the rest of us but who knew that Jesus held the key. As stated so well by the Apostle Peter, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68).
Genuine renovation of ourselves, our attitudes, who we really are - is not something we're capable of doing. That kind of makeover requires the wrecking ball of God and complete reconstruction from the ground up. We must trust Him to do so, knowing that what will emerge will be more beautiful than we could ever imagine, inside and out, fully changed by the Master Renovator.
Oh what a day that will be when we're finally made new, through and through!
Comments
Post a Comment
Your comments are welcomed and appreciated.