I can’t believe that one week from today is Thanksgiving. The last ten weeks have been a complete blur.
On September 8th, we discovered a major leak between the two bathroom walls at our home that required tearing out both bathrooms. I have never lived in a house while demolition was ongoing, but we got to experience it up close and personal this fall. To say it was inconvenient, frustrating, aggravating, and stressful is, to put it mildly.
For weeks our home was invaded by a mitigation team of repairmen, plumbers, and contractors who unleashed six industrial blowers in the house and six under the house, which sounded like a 747 taking off at ground zero in my living room. They blew day and night while the workers used drills, saws, and sledgehammers to cut and tear out tubs, sheetrock, tile, and flooring.
Our house is 104 years old, so the layers of flooring that were peeled away created a pile as big as Mt Everest. The debris and dust swirled like a whirlwind through every curtain barrier I had hung and landed in every crack and crevice available, leaving dust on every surface throughout the house. Removing the dust that was left behind was a daily task of clean up which probably is the reason I got the flu and bronchitis during this time by breathing in all that junk.
As the repairmen stripped away layer upon layer of sub-flooring, it revealed how deep the water damage was. The rot had evolved over a very expansive amount of time. With years left unattended, it devoured the whole floor. It was imperative to remove all the layers down to the floor joist. We were very concerned the joist would be damaged as well, but, thankfully, they had survived the test of time and were still a strong foundation.
I wish I weren’t impatient; I lack that virtue so much in my life. I’m a full-speed-ahead-minute woman, wanting to get to the finish line as soon as possible, but I know that demolition takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight. Rushing can cause oversights that can bring about more problems in the future, so it is necessary to remove it properly to secure good results.
As I reflect on these last two and a half months, I realized how I take everyday necessities for granted. I am so blessed to live with such modern-day conveniences.
I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. As a little child, we did not have indoor plumbing; we used an outhouse and drank from a well. Mama washed with a wringer-type washer machine, and we bathed in a big wash tub. We didn’t have much, it was a much simpler time, but I am so grateful to have experienced that lifestyle.
The plumber finished up last week, so we now have two beautiful, fully furnished bathrooms. The process was hard; we had not planned reconstruction, sometimes things break quickly, and sometimes we realize too late that there is damage that has been going on for a while that ultimately takes a major toil.
Going through this process at our physical house, I realized how relatable this is to our spiritual house. The Bible in 2nd Corinthians 5:1 says,
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Our foundation is strong and secure, built upon the cornerstone, which is Christ Jesus.
“…and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. Ephesians 2:20
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ in which” all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 3:11
“…when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a rock.” Luke 6:48
Although we have a firm foundation, if we are not careful as children of God, we can get careless in the nurture and care of our spiritual life. It can start out small and unnoticed but left unattended; it can grow and cause major damage in our lives.
Our hearts can be broken by so many things in this life; grief, death, divorce, guilt, doubt, unforgiveness, bitterness, and the list can go on and on. After we recognize there is a problem, we first need to seek help from God. He should be our first response because He is able to repair the damage done to our hearts and soul.
“Casting down imagination and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
Knocking down walls that have devoured our joy is a process. There can be many layers to peel away before we get to the source of the problem. We hope they will go away on their own, but it is a grinding task to dig and chip away at the things that have brought so much devastation to our hearts.
How do we rebuild our lives? How do we, as the Bible says, “allow old things to pass away and all things become new?” As the old song says, “there is grace for every need, grace to cover all my sins, yes there is grace in the Lord’s perfect love.” Thank God His mercies are new every morning.
I am so thankful we have the opportunity, by God’s grace, to rebuild. We can have reconstruction. We are all flawed and have been damaged because of our sinful nature, and one day we will forever be repaired eternally. Until then, we are instructed to “faint not, but though our outward man perish the inward man is renewed day by day.”
Christ has a beautiful design just for us. He is the ultimate builder of our lives. He desires us to build faith, hope, love, gentleness, kindness, and longsuffering so we can become a thing of beauty for his glory. My prayer for us today is to pay attention to the well-being of our spiritual house; it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Nurture it with Thanksgiving, prayer, and God’s word. Let it have priority over your physical life so nothing will catch you unaware, and you will become a strong and mighty tower of the Lord.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Diane Mann
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#dianemannblogs
