TEAR IT DOWN!

To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under
the heaven:
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time
to build up.
Ecclesiastes 3:3

There are a couple of shows on TV I thoroughly enjoy. Perhaps some folks think I could find something more beneficial to watch. The one program I especially like is hosted by the couple from Waco, TX who have a house renovation type program. They are good kids so appreciate them, their work and their testimony.

I'm always amazed no matter who has chosen a beat up, damaged house to redo, to see how they approach the challenge of making something beautiful out of a place that has undergone such damage. They often look like very hopeless projects, but I've learned to stay tuned because a really miraculous end is coming by the end of the program.

Something I have looked at as a an older house is being evaluated is the foundation of the house. Rarely does much of anything have to be done to the foundation of a house no matter its age. It is usually made of cinder blocks, bricks or concrete of some sort. Perhaps the flooring on the inside of the house may need some replacement, but the foundation originally laid for the building of a house is there.

It's amazing the damage folks do to the inside of a house. Some damage, of course, is a result of age. Kitchens usually age out and I smile when I see some of them. I like to see nice kitchens. Aging out usually happens to a bathroom as well. Many older houses have only one bathroom, but if there are two, some real updating is usually called for. Many times, windows in an older house need replacement as well as outside doors. Many older houses have real problems with fireplaces. Some have to be torn down completely or can sometimes be painted a color that matches the new paint in the living room.

The part I would like to have a part in is to be handed a sledge hammer so I could tear down a desired wall or some old cabinets. I think that would help the project, and looks like it would be such fun. We have lived in a few houses, usually new ones, in our married life. Some we still own but they are aging. It hurts me at the thought of someone going into one of those houses where in some cases may need a lot of work down the road to do any demolition work.. After all, we raised our children, shared sweet memories and shared life and love together in those places. I sometimes wonder about the original owners of those old houses I see on TV that have fallen into such disrepair and how the original owners would feel about what was being done to a place once precious to them. There are some old and empty houses we see on our way to church. They are in the process of being torn down, parts of them burned making way for newer construction. I have said to Brian that in those old and dilapidated houses are lots of memories of some families where they shared life together.

Demolition of any building happens, but that building feels no physical pain. There may be emotional pain on the part of some owners who have long-lasting and loving memories of the building that has been torn down. But back to my TV program. Those young renovators look at a dismal and lonely looking house and they see potential, warmth, beauty and a home being prepared for a family. When the end product is revealed, there is great joy. You see, they started out with a building that was broken and in some cases even vandalized. But that young couple looks through such a place and their eyes begin to sparkle as they look at all of the potential that can come from something that seems so hopeless and not worth much.

You see, when it comes to many such buildings that are broken, there are those who feel they can renewed and renovated with new purpose. They don't just picture new walls, kitchen fixtures, flooring and a pretty new shower in the bathroom. They envision people...people who need a fresh start in their lives, a house to make into a home. They may see a family who can bring joy, happiness and love to those walls that many years ago, heard and felt the same things as a family moved into it.

Paul tells us that we are temples, houses of sorts where the Holy Spirit dwells. Some have forgotten the importance of these houses of clay that are ours. Perhaps through the years, our houses have sustained a lot of damage, not just physically but spiritually as well. We may feel at times that we are pretty torn up and yet, Scripture tells us there's a time to build back up. We're never given a command in Scripture we can't accomplish with Holy Spirit strength. I often feel I need a renewal in so many ways and when I yield to the changes that should be made, I feel a refreshment in my life. I feel renewed in every way when I allow God to come in and do business with me.

Here we are in the spring time of the year. Remember spring housecleaning? I hardly hear the term anymore but perhaps it wasn't a bad idea. When growing up, I hated it when it was time to clean wallpaper, take down curtains and no telling what else. I wonder in the whole process when completed if our house smiled...a smile I couldn't see of course.

I wonder if God doesn't smile when He sees our willingness to tear out the old stuff of our lives and let Him come in an not only help with the cleaning but also with the beautifying. Yep, there's a time to break down but it becomes a disaster if rebuilding up doesn't follow.

Thank You Jesus, for doing a work in my life. Sometimes it's uncomfortable, but I really want to make a difference for You in the lives of others. Grant me Your power in whatever process is necessary in my life right now to bring me to all You want me to be. Thank You for seeing potential in my life when I don't see much. In Your precious name...Amen