Time to Renovate

“You know if we were to take out this wall…” There is a flurry of excitement that takes place when renovations in a home or establishment are undertaken. A statement like, “We should change…” made over a coffee, or as you walk through a home improvement store begins to take focus. Before long you peruse the paint chip display to come up with the perfect colour. You stay awake at night dreaming of how much money you could save if you do the renovations yourself. Your idea does not seem so far fetched when you watch professional interior designers make over a room in twenty four hours.
It’s early Saturday morning and you wonder why everyone else is not sharing your excitement. There are walls to knock down, new wiring to run, quotes to obtain on the latest flooring and checking out the new appliances. Once the dust of demolition settles, you realize this is going to be a bigger project than what you had figured on paper. It seemed so simple on TV. You even bought a new tool belt so you could really look the part.
Our church building has undergone some renovations.
Walls were fixed, washed, primed and painted. A dishwasher was installed after the counter was built. Light fixtures were fixed and new wiring threaded through the ceiling. One bathroom had a makeover. The list goes on. Some jobs were extensive while others were as simple as re-shelving the books from the library.
While I was involved in the many projects, I did not have to do them all. Others with more expertise and varying degrees of energy and time willingly took the paint brush, screwdriver or whatever tool was needed. In spite of the flurry I had some time to reflect as a sprayed the paint on the walls. Romans 12: 2 reminds us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (NKJV).
“The renewing of your mind” is what I began to mull over. Many people try to cover up their selfish and destructive thinking as one would use paint to cover a stain or a blemish. Their intent is to let their behaviour camouflage their thoughts. It is like a grease patch on a wall. You may put new paint over the smear but it will seep through and your efforts of covering the oil will be in vain. You first have to remove the grease, and then wash it with soap and grease remover. Once dried, you prime it and apply your coats of paint. Only then will the stain on the wall truly be removed.
The word renew comes from the Greek root meaning ‘to renovate.’ We are told to renovate our thinking not just whitewash it. We need to tear down the old walls of hopelessness and build a new structure based on the hope Christ can bring. Let us gather up the dust and debris of low self esteem, discard it and apply the cleansing power of God’s love so we understand how valuable we are to God. Pull out the rusty nails that corrode our behaviour and attach our lives securely to God and honour Him.
We cannot change our selves but we need the Master Builder to renovate the hurts and shame we have tried to hide. We need Christ, the Designer and Finishing Carpenter, to make us into His new creation. His renovation is good and perfect and he will keep working in our lives until the job is complete. Once His work is completed, we will praise our Creator and Builder and we will be able to say, “The old me is gone and in its place I have been totally renovated and made new.”
The next time you pick up a paint brush or a screw driver and start a renovation project, remember God wants to be involved in your transformation by helping you to renovate your thinking.