Steve and I moved recently into a home that, while relatively new, needed some renovations, particularly in the master bathroom. We had hoped to have the master bath remodeled before we moved in, but for reasons beyond our control, that did not occur. Thus, we find ourselves in the midst of a major renovation project.
Home remodeling projects are never fun, easy, or inexpensive. We have tended to buy newer homes and have generally limited home upgrades to cosmetic changes, such as painting or changing the floor coverings. Our largest projects prior to the current one involved converting a screened porch into an office and finishing a portion of a basement. Neither of those projects inconvenienced us much.
Renovating the master bathroom, however, is a totally different story. Naturally, we had to remove all of our belongings from the bathroom and relocate them to the small guest bath down the hall. Since the closet is accessed through the bathroom, we had to empty the closet. Our clothes are distributed among the closets in the three extra bedrooms. Unfortunately, for the sake of time, we did not perform this task in any organized manner. Getting dressed in the morning requires a search through all the closets for the desired clothing.
The existing tub and shower had to be gutted. At the end of the first day of demolition, construction dust coated every piece of furniture in the master bedroom. That night we vacuumed the carpet, dusted the furniture, and washed the bedding. Then we covered every inch of the bedroom with plastic drop clothes. Again this was done without proper forethought. I wish I had retrieved clothing I would need from the dresser, but alas I did not. At least I know where the desired items are as I fight my way through the yards of plastic covering the dresser. The first time we had to access the answer machine on the night stand, we moved it into the guest room, as well.
More plastic is adhered to our staircase and upstairs hall. It keeps the debris off the carpet but not off our feet. I avoid going upstairs as much as possible because I don’t like getting bits of plaster stuck to the soles of my feet. No matter how much we sweep, we cannot get it all up. I look forward to the day we pull the plastic up and I feel carpet under my feet again.
Remodeling is messy, it’s inconvenient, it’s time consuming, and it’s costly. So why are we putting ourselves through this process? We do it for the end result, of course. We are expecting to have a beautiful master bathroom that meets our needs when the remodeling is complete. And although it feels like the remodeling has been going on forever, the entire project should be completed in only a few weeks. We are willing to endure a short period of unpleasantness in order to achieve the desired finished product. We look forward to the day very soon when our master bathroom will be completed to our specifications and will once again be a usable part of our home.
As I have watched the bathroom transformation, I have been reminded of the way God moves in us to transform our hearts and reform us to be useful for His needs. Our old bathroom was operational but it didn’t meet our needs. The old fixtures had to be demolished and the space cleaned of all the debris before the workers could install the new fixtures. God has to rid our lives of everything that hinders His work before we can be fully useful to Him. Sin has to go, of course, but also bitterness, pain, and unforgiveness. When we give those things to God, He removes them from our hearts and fills the empty spaces with His love, peace, forgiveness, and understanding. The old has to give way to the new. The process is often messy and painful but the end result is more beautiful than we could have imagined.
I’m looking forward to the day that my bathroom renovation is complete and even more so to the day that my personal renovation is complete and I stand in the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If your life needs a renovation, Jesus Christ is the answer.
Susan's Reflections 