By Pat
In the neighborhood where I live, an abandoned house had fallen into great disrepair. It sat vacant for several years until finally, it was purchased by a contractor who began the extensive renovation. By the time be bought it, the house was in such bad condition that nothing could be salvaged except for the foundation. The house was bulldozed and the work began.
Day after day, the builder and his crew worked rebuilding on the existing foundation, and slowly but surely we began to see a new and beautiful home emerging. Frame, walls, roof, windows...little by little, it all began to come together. In time, the plumbers and electricians arrived, and before too long it was finished. Where a dilapidated, crumbling house once stood was a lovely, strong home, gleaming from top to bottom. It was just beautiful! In fact, the contractor who rebuilt it ended up keeping the house for himself, and now lives in it.
The rebuilding of that old house reminds me so much of God and the wondrous works He performs on His children! No matter how badly we are crumbling, or how we have neglected ourselves, God can step right in and completely renovate us. Sometimes I feel like I need the touch of the Master Carpenter, and when I do, He comes to me, tears down the old and creates something lovely out of the rubble I have made of myself. I dare not try to rebuild it myself...I trust that God and God alone can make my walls secure, my foundation unshakable, my roof sturdy.
Only God can paint me the colors He wants me to be and make my inner workings new again. Only God. And the best part of all is that, like the contractor who rebuilt that house around the corner from me, God stays and lives in me! No matter how much rebuilding I need, God is always on the job, and though at times my walls shake and crack, and my windows shatter, and my wires come loose, my foundation stays strong. It is built on God, my Savior.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." (Psalm 127:1)
Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.