Day 11 - Works in Progress

Scripture Reading — Philippians 1:3-11; Rom. 8:28; James 1:2-5; Ephesians 4:22-24

A few years ago, Jackie took on a remodeling project. She wanted to create an office space that would both inspire her to write and create. She recruited our son Jackson to help her rip up the laminate flooring. As strips of flooring were removed, they noticed big blotches of paint and wood filler all over the original wood floors. 

Later that week, Jackie called her cousin over to take a look and see what it would take to restore the floors.  She left him in the space to do what she thought would be spot-sanding, just to test a couple of areas to see if the paint and wood filler would lift.  When she returned, thick layers of dust covered furniture, her favorite books, work files, the printer – dust was EVERYWHERE!  Had she known he was going to get happy with the hand sander, we would have removed her things from the room. Instead, we hurried to cram all of the dusty contents of the office into our tiny living room and dining room.

Before she could go into toddler-mode, peace began to flow as Jackie opted for a higher response.  "What's the lesson here, Lord?" she asked. And He answered: “The dust is the beginning of something new and beautiful. Change is messy and uncomfortable. To achieve it, you must disrupt the ‘norm’.  When the dust settles and is removed, you will have a new beautiful space. It will be well worth the discomfort.”

And it was.

Philippians 1 reminds us that like a house undergoing a remodeling project, our lives are works in progress. Over time, bit by bit, God takes our highs and lows, the trials, temptations, and even sins to transform our lives. As we relinquish our own control and way, He begins to remodel us and help us live as His servants. We begin to take on the family likeness of the Father and the Son as the Holy Spirit works in us to help us bear the fruit that comes when we abide in Him. He promises to keep working with us until the job is complete.

However, this does not mean we don’t have a part in the process either! We do need to trust Him, even when it feels difficult to do so. We actively put off sin and with the help of the Spirit, choose to put on that which reflects Him. We recognize this change will take a lifetime so we are patient with the process. 

God has a plan to make us new, but sometimes the process of remodeling our lives can seem rather messy. God promises that the project will be worthwhile.

Holy Spirit, help me to become everything You intended me to be when You first created me. In Jesus' name, Amen.