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Monday

A Spiritual Bathroom Remodel

Life around here is a bit messy.
We're smack dab in the middle of a master bathroom remodel. Ugh.
I've been through a remodel twice before, but it never gets any easier.
The mess, the time, the noise, the inconvenience, the workers walking through your home...
it all adds up on my stress radar!




When a friend came over the other day, she looked around and mentioned how a remodel is like our personal walk with God.  God taking away the old, replacing it with new.
 As I listened to her, I started to take a deeper (spiritual) look at this remodel.


Let's back up a bit.

6 months ago, my family and I noticed a small brown water spot on our kitchen ceiling.
At the time, our schedule was crazy. (When is our schedule not crazy?)
We didn't have the time or expertise to investigate, so we didn't do anything.
I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happened next...

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A problem enters my life...or I become aware of a problem in my life.
I don't have time to deal with it, so I let it be.
I think it might go away because I prayed about it.
I keep living my same life, same choices, same routine
and wonder why the problem is still around...actually it's bigger than it used to be.
Why won't it just go away?

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One day after staring at the ever growing spot on the ceiling,
I climbed on a stool and touched the brown stain.  It was squishy and wet!
I guess it's time to do something.

My dad came for a week-end visit and I gave him the job of fixing it.
He looked at me and said, "You know I'm going to have to cut a hole in your ceiling, right?"
uhhhh...
After a hole was cut and the pipes were investigated,
I was told that the shower in our master bathroom needed to be replaced.
Seriously?  My (Fix-Everything) dad, couldn't quick-fix it for me?  (Not this time.)

We placed an ice chest on the kitchen floor, directly under the hole,
As the shower was being used, the water would drip right through the hole and land in the ice chest.
Can you imagine how I felt when friends came to visit?
 

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This is so similar to how I sometimes live spiritually.
I ask God to take away my issue, my sin, my problem--whatever it may be.
I tell God I want a quick, clean, easy fix.  I don't want it to be messy. 
I don't want to have to do work and I don't want to wait.

My prayers sound something like this:
God, answer my prayer immediately. 
Solve my problems now and don't let anyone know I have an issue.
Don't let anyone see the hole in my heart and in my life. 
Don't let them know I have an issue. 
Don't let people see my pain and tears, I want to look like I have it all pulled together.

 





I know that God's ways are not our ways--yet most of the time, I want them to be! 
I'm slowly learning that when God has work to do in our lives, He wants to do it right.
No quick surface fix.  God goes for the total tear out to get the total healing.

____________________________________

 
Living with a hole in the ceiling and an ice chest on the floor
for 4 months was a pain, but we managed.
I slowly made the necessary appointments to plan a bathroom remodel.
(Whoa!  I'm going to get a bathroom remodel out of this?!  Yippeee!)
Many budget conversations, product selections and piles of paperwork was completed.
We were ready (on paper) to get this problem taken care of...
of course we were put on the waiting list for 3 months.

A major surprise happened a few weeks after the remodel paperwork was turned in.
The company had an opening and moved us up on their schedule!  Nice!
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Blessings in the difficult, waiting times always amaze me!
When I feel so low, so done, so exhausted,
do I ever stop and purposely look for the gifts from God?
Do I see Him at work even in the hard times?
Do I thank Him and praise Him and give Him glory for He is good?
(I don't know about you, but I need to do a better job of this.)

_______________________________________________
 

The workers arrived and the demolition began.
Loud bangs and noises filled the house, as I watched everything
in the bathroom be torn up and thrown out.
The leaky shower was taken apart, the old chipped sinks and counters were ripped out,
the bright gold faucets were chucked and the yucky bathroom carpet pulled up.
(Did I mention how desperately this bathroom needed to be updated?)

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What sins have I let come into my life and disrupt me?
What things am I wishing I could change about myself?
Which choices am I continuing to make that actually make my life more difficult?

How desperately do I need a 'major clean out' in my life?
Do I allow God to rip those things out,
or do I hang onto them and just keep living with the out of date, not working junk?


 ______________________________

After the first day of demolition, I couldn't wait to see what would happen the next day.
I was hoping the new cabinets would be put in, or the tiles would be laid out.
I was so disappointed!
The plumber worked on the pipes the entire day!
The next day was more of the same.
Slow work, barely anything exciting to see...
The next day the tile workers arrived.
I was so hoping to see the tile put on the floor.
Nope, a whole day of prep work.
Come on, I want to see progress!
_________________________________

 
Why are the 'behind the scenes' steps so labor intensive in my life?
Why can't I have the immediate visual progress I crave?
This is the spiritual battle within me.
I must allow God to change me within, no matter how long it takes.
I can't fight it, I can't rush it, I must give full surrender to Him working in my life.
If I want to fully learn and heal, I must not be in a hurry.
 
_______________________

And so I wait.
Right now, I'm waiting and trusting that this mess will someday be beautiful.

 I'm currently watching the tile workers.
One tile piece at a time.  Cut perfectly to fit.  Hand placed in a set pattern. 
Braced with supports and heavy mud.
One piece leads to another and another...
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 To see updated pictures of our bathroom remodel,
follow me on Twitter @mymichellepaige
or on Instagram at mymichellepaige.

(Click here to go to my blog and see sidebar for Instagram pictures.)


 











Linking up to: Gracelaced

6 comments :

  1. God is good all the time! Thanks for sharing your insights, we are in the midst of a whole house renovation. It is good to be reminded that God is in the business of life renovation.
    You put a smile on my face. :)Ann

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  2. Wow - a really wonderful, thoughtful post. Thank you for sharing it!

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  3. Great post! I LOVE your comparisons. Definitely thought provoking! :)

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  4. What a very heartfelt post and hang in there I know remodels are a pain in the you know what but it will be worth it in the end!

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  5. Oh I so so relate to this! We just did a kitchen remodel overhaul, and I had many of the same thoughts! thanks for linking up. I'm going to share this post on my FB page!

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  6. This article is very good & informative.I have gain so much information from this blog.I like your blog.Thanks for the post.

    ReplyDelete