Out With the Old - In With the New (Right Now!)

Tearing down and demolishing the old kitchen seems like it's taking forever! What I miss seeing while I'm at work is the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to rip, strip, tear and jerk the old materials away from the kitchen walls and floors. All I see at the end of the day is filled trash cans and newly bare walls. I missed the process and the clean-up.

Demolishing the old ways in me seem to follow a similar path. One day I tug at an old habit, just to have it return the next day. Other days I cry out to God and ask for His sovereign mercy to flood me and make me clean. Still at other times, I invest sweat equity in trying to do it my own way only to find that my own way wasn't the way I should be going. I don't want to deal with the process and the clean-up.

Remodeling takes time. It takes dedication and it takes skill. Larry has the patience to deal with all of those things in my dream kitchen remodel. I'm thankful for that, because who knows what a kitchen remodel that I undertake would look like? Walls out of square, uneven cabinets and electrical outlets leading to nowhere!

When it comes to changing something in my life, most of the time I do not want to invest the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to wipe the slate clean - I just want to see the newness!

How's that working for me, you ask? Not too good. I find that when I don't take the difficult steps it takes to build character, I end up out of square and uneven. Not a very pretty sight for those who might look to me for answers or encouragement. Lord, help me to listen to the words of Proverbs 3:5,6 - "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all."

Just like using the right tools in remodeling a kitchen, be sure to use God's Word as the sharp sword to separates the old and the new in your life. His Word is a far better tool than the rusty nail you just pulled out of your pocket.