New Things

I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate."
Revelation 21:5 (The Message)

"Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us,

that we may be saved."
Psalm 80:19 (NIV)
"He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name."
Psalm 111:9 (NIV)

From the moment I saw our house, I fell in love with it. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't big. It had 2 little bedrooms and a single bath. But there was something about that house that got to me. Something about it made me feel like I was home. The hardwood floors, the hexagon tiling, the little door in the kitchen for the milkman, all signs of a lovely OLD home. The house was built in 1937. It had, as so many people say, "Character." But it had clearly been loved. It had new copper plumbing, central air and heat, recessed lighting, fresh paint, buffed floors. The house was not just old. It was old but had been made new. It had been lovingly restored to a better version of itself. I don't know much about the process. We weren't a part of that. But we were the benefactors of someone else's love and care for this old home. We were able to appreciate the hours that were probably poured into it.

It amazes me how some people can walk into a home that has been run down and see the potential in it. I am not that person. I remember looking at "fixer uppers" in the house hunting process. Walking into them and wanting to walk away out of fear. I didn't want to think about the time and energy (not to mention the $$) it would take to make the place livable. I just wanted to move in, to settle in. I wanted "turn key." And that is what we got.

But now, I kinda wish I had pictures of the house before it became the house we know and love. I wish I knew how beautiful it was when it was built, how dilapidated it had become over the years. Although I love and appreciate the final product, there is something that I have missed in the process. I am beginning to think that I can't truly appreciate the house because I never saw the mess of it. I never saw it at its worst. I often wonder if the previous owners ever drive by, just to see... to see if the people who moved in love the house as much as they did, if they are appreciating it and seeing the valuable time effort and LOVE that they poured into it. Sadly, I would have to say that I don't always. I sometimes take it all for granted. I neglect it.

But as I am beginning to see more and more mess in my life, I am also beginning to appreciate even more the process of restoration. Making something new again, making something that was broken now functional and useful, turning the mess into beauty, an old house into a home, it certainly is a process. It takes time, it takes dedication, it takes love.

My prayers right now are all about this transformation. I so desperately need restoration right now. I need a savior who could pour all of that into me... time, effort, love, dedication. I need someone who sees the mess and doesn't turn away out of fear but rather, without hesitation, says "Yes! This is beautiful! I can fix this. This is what I do best. This is easy for me. This is going to be an amazing finished product!"

I know He can do it. I know He wants to do it. I know that it is his profession. It is His craft. It is is what He does best. It is the greatest story in the world. How the God of the universe longs to make us new. How the God who created the world desires to restore all of it back to the beautiful, perfect place he had envisioned, before we messed it all up.

My mess of a life needs to be made new. My little world needs redemption.

I need God to fix me. I need him to show me that he is making me a better version of me in this process. And maybe someone out there will be able to appreciate it all. They will be able to see the growth that is taking place in me. The finished project is just part of the beauty. But there is tremendous value in that process of the broken me becoming the whole me. The me where all things are now new.