The remodeling of a heart!

Picture: The boys decorating Christmas cookies in our new kitchen!

About a year ago, Sean and I undertook one of the most ambitious remodeling projects that a homeowner can experience – the complete overhaul of our kitchen, living room and downstairs bathroom.

If you’ve ever been through a major remodel of your own, then you can relate to how it can totally take over your life – turning it completely upside down as you try to go about your daily routine without the everyday conveniences you’ve become so accustomed to! (Besides the fact that your home turns into a demolished den of complete disarray, which can be extremely disconcerting for a clean-freak like me!)

For example, during our remodel, instead of a kitchen sink or a dishwasher to wash our dishes in, we did dishes via our garden hose or bathtub. And my favorite part of the five-month-long remodel was cooking our meals in the garage. We set up a little makeshift kitchen complete with an electric griddle, toaster oven and microwave. Virtually every meal was like having my own Food Network TV show with the neighbors as my viewing audience.

Not that I’m complaining, it was actually quite an adventure! And it truly has been such a blessing to be able to upgrade our home!

The point here is that living through a major remodel, while keeping your sense of humor and peace of mind, takes more than just a willingness to spend a few bucks (or much to our dismay, a lot of bucks). It also means being willing to forgo your comfort zone for however long it takes to achieve the desired goal!

Recently, I’ve been thinking about the whole experience of our home remodel last year and how we put ourselves completely through the wringer for it, both financially and emotionally. Our family lived through nearly five months of chaos and construction in order to achieve a newer, more updated “comfort zone.”

And the convicting thought that keeps popping into my mind is … How willing am I to submit to a continual remodel of my heart? Am I willing to commit the same level of fortitude to allowing God through the power of the Holy Spirit to remodel my heart, mind and soul? As a new creation in Christ, shouldn’t I yearn daily to become more and more conformed to His image?

Recently, I’ve been experiencing a series of major spiritual overhauls, initiated by the Grand Architect – Almighty God Creator of all and Sustainer of all! He is working on me with the jackhammer of His Word and the convicting prompts of His spiritual foreman, the Holy Spirit, who is directing me to toss out all the garbage to make even more room for the One True Carpenter, who I pray will continue to remodel me to conform more and more to His image and to His service.

My apologies for all the clichéd remodeling analogies here, but they seem to help make the point that when we take heed of the Word of God and allow the Spirit to go to work in our hearts and lives – to do something new and different that pushes us to that next level of spiritual growth – it is an amazing experience that not only blesses us, but enables us to bring greater glory and honor to the Father and Son!

And by no means am I a seasoned expert on spiritual remodeling – it’s definitely a new experience, and I especially want to make the point that it’s absolutely, without a doubt, the exclusive work of the Lord and not something we can ever achieve on our own!

God’s word is clear about the fact that we can do nothing of ourselves to stand justified before God (Titus 3:4-7). The truth is salvation comes only through the perfect work of Christ – He alone saves – it is through His sinless life and the atoning sacrifice of His precious blood that we are washed from sin and made pure and holy before God. This is not accomplished through any good deed on our part, but is the sole work of God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

When we come to God in repentance and faith – putting our trust in His Son as the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) – He will make us a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). And it’s at that point in our lives that the spiritual remodeling begins and continues within us as we submit to the Holy Spirit and to the Living Word of God.

Outside of the joy that comes from receiving the free gift of salvation through Christ, I believe that the continual spiritual remodeling that takes place in the hearts of the believer is one of the greatest blessings and honors of living the Christian life.

So, Lord, we pray, let the remodeling begin in those who are ready to receive Christ, and let it continue in the hearts of all believers as the Spirit works to conform us more and more into His image each day! For we know that when your work is complete within us, we will stand glorified for all eternity through the power, grace, love and mercy of your Almighty Hand!