Today my contractor friend is coming to do another wall with barn wood. I will be at work while he does his magic, which means I get to leave seeing the old, boring wall and get to come home to an at least partially finished beautiful old wood wall.
This is the same contractor who did my stone and barn wood fireplace, some barn wood accents and the barn wood wall in my our bedroom. This house is becoming my suburban cabin :-).
I love the process of transformation. Seeing the potential in something old or in need of fixing and either digging in and doing it myself or asking someone else to help me out. Restoration and renovation. If I had the money, the time and the ability, I would thrill at the chance to completely redo an old cabin or farmhouse from top to bottom. Taking the old and keeping the character of the original, but loving it into something fresh and new.
Lucky for me, God has that same desire. Transformation is His thing, too. But His renovations are much more meaningful. Because they involve people. All of us. Me. Smoothing rough edges. Fixing broken pieces. Conditioning the dry patches. Sanding away the splinters. He does all of this without changing the character of the original piece that He created us to be. He takes who we are and makes it a little more like Him. His work adds beauty for others to see and experience. His restoration adds priceless value not just to the piece He’s been working on, but to anyone who observes and interacts with that person.
If I could sit and watch what my contractor is doing all day, I could potentially become discouraged. All of the cutting of wood, the mess, the “getting worse before it gets better” process. I could second guess what he’s doing when there are only a few pieces on the wall and it looks ugly and unfinished. But I trust him. I know his work. I’ve seen what he can do and it is absolutely ALWAYS beautiful. The projects that he’s done for me in the past are proof of the same grade of work that he will do now and in the future. I know that today’s finished product will take my breath away.
Can I trust God like that? Can I see how He’s working in my life, in my world, and trust His hands to complete the project? Do I believe that He will keep His promises and create something of beauty even when the process is difficult? Will I remember the things He has done in the past both in scripture and in my own life? He doesn’t change. His work will ALWAYS be good. Good to us. Good for us. Good for others. Good for His name and reputation.
Today I am trusting my contractor friend. Will I trust my Carpenter Friend?
Philippians 1:6 – And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
