REBUILDING VS. REMODELING
Jesus is in the transformation business. He’s not about remodeling. He wants to rebuild. Many times we want Him to come and just do a little rearranging. Just move some furniture around. Maybe lay down some new flooring. Make things a little more comfortable. Livable. Actually, if we’re being honest, we’re a little more interested in the exterior, right? We’re definitely okay with him putting on a fresh coat of paint and trimming up the shrubs a little. I wonder if he does yard work? Whatever can impress the average passer-by. You know, curb appeal.
But the truth is, we don’t really want complete transformation. We know that in order for a true rebuild to take place, there is a process. It doesn’t just happen. You don’t just have an old dilapidated house, close your eyes, snap your fingers and “voila!”, brand new home. No. There is a process. And part of the process is the deconstruction or the demolition of the old. You don’t build a new house on an old, unstable foundation. You don’t start construction of something new where there is sign of rot or evidence of mold or mildew. No. You strip it down to the core and fix the issue. You don’t just cover it up or turn a blind eye to something that has created a problem. You rip out the old, repair what is broken and replace with new material. Rip, repair and replace.
As a believer that Jesus is the redeemer and the restorer, I have an understanding that He desires to take us as we are and completely transform us. Not just half way. Not just with the removal of things that I can do without. But transformed. Inside then out. I’ve seen people do a great job of hiding their issues. By building walls. By adding a pretty exterior. By hiding behind hobbies or ministries. By adding friends or family or jobs. All while knowing of a rooted problem and the effects of it’s existence. But we hang on. Not wanting to be found out. Not wanting to backtrack or address our weaknesses. So, we add another coat. Another layer. Then another and another and another. And the issue remains.
I feel as though the time has come for us (the Church) to lead by example. It’s time we believe in, receive and accept the transformation process . It’s a gift that Christ hand wrapped and delivered to us when he lived life, was crushed and died on a cross and then conquered death by walking out of the tomb. We have proclaimed a good message with our mouths from the pulpit. But we haven’t first practiced what we preach with our lives. We’ve continued to place band-aids over our wounds, build walls around our offenses and worn masks to hide our true feelings. It’s time we take hold of the promise of NEW that Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 5:17. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation. The old has passed away; behold, the NEW has come.” Notice, he doesn’t say LIKE NEW. He says NEW. And he says the old is GONE. Hallelujah!!!
It’s time we rip off the band aid, apply the disinfectant and allow God to bring healing to our spiritual and emotional wounds. We’ve had them covered long enough. God doesn’t want to just place you in another job or another another circle of friends or another church. He wants to have access to the infected area of the deepest part of your heart. And he wants you to be able to live in FREEDOM. Free from hurt and offense. Free from worry and fear. Free from excuses as to why we won’t accept change. He wants to TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE. Are there seasons when a new territory or a new set of friends is needed? Absolutely. But, if the hurt we experience in a certain place or by a certain person is just covered up and buried, it will eventually become a problem down the road.
Far too often, we want to apply Jesus to certain areas of our lives. We want his PEACE. We want his LOVE. We value his PRESENCE and always want to feel as though we are following him. But, he is personal. He’s not okay with touching and effecting parts of your life. He wants the whole thing. Colossians 1:20 says “That through Christ, God reconciles to himself all things.” That’s every hurt. Every offense. Every wound. Every thought. Every thing that we have put into the corner for fear of the pain that would come from dealing with the issue. God sees it. He cares about it. And He has the answer for it. It’s called real transformation. And it looks like Jesus.
So, let’s let Him dismantle the walls we have built. Rip out, remove and replace every layer. Let’s give Him full access to every square inch of our minds, hearts and lives. The first step to the rest of your journey in the Kingdom is subtraction not addition. We’ve added enough. We’ve built enough. It’s time to subtract everything that doesn’t look like Jesus. It’s time we get to a healthy core and let God build our lives on a firm foundation. Hurt free. Offense free. You can do it. I can do it. We can do it. Let’s stop expecting Jesus to shuffle things around for us. He’s done rearranging your life. He doesn’t want to remodel anymore. He wants to rebuild.
