In recent years, we’ve seen an uptick in home buyers in our town who have no intention of living in the houses they buy. They discover a tired older dwelling, strip out the dingy appliances, cabinets, and bath fixtures, often taking the place down to the studs and opening up undersized rooms to offer a more spacious and open feel. Then they’ll add new paint, shiny appliances, fancy tiles and shower heads along with some tricked out techy features to catch the eye of potential buyers. They’re typically on a short turn-around schedule and some may overlook things like outdated plumbing and wiring that can bring real danger to an unsuspecting buyer. Their end game is to make attractive cosmetic updates on a budget and resell the houses as quickly as possible. Many know what they’re doing and others….maybe not so much. Don’t get me wrong—there are lots of excellent carpenters out there who will do a great job. I’m just saying that we should always remember the old saying, “Buyer Beware,” when making large purchases.

At one level, we’re all tear-downs…Bob Goff, Live In Grace, Walk In Love

If you’ve watched TV reality shows, you’ll know that the most exciting and fulfilling segment is demo day. Everyone likes the idea of smashing their old cabinets with sledge hammers and tearing out walls for that wide open feeling. The thing is, there’s a lot more to it than slinging heavy chunks of metal at wood and drywall. For starters, is that wall you’re bashing a support wall? Is there power to that wall and have you turned it off? Of course, you say, anyone would think of that….have you really watched these shows?

While renos have been happening all over town, we’ve had a close-up experience right behind us. When we moved here, the home was owned by an acquaintance who subsequently passed away. Two or three families have since rented the home but moved on as quickly as something else became available, because, quite frankly, the home probably should have been a tear-down. We walked through it right after the former owner died and the list of problems was longer than Santa’s Christmas wish list. Our assessment….bulldoze it!

But, little by little, things have been happening. Because the house hasn’t been lived in for a couple of years and there were opportunities throughout that time for critters to find shelter there, I can’t even imagine how many must have taken advantage. It was “fixed up” just enough to be able to get someone to take a chance on renting it. And as each family left, a few cosmetic improvements were made that enticed a new renter. Following the departure of the last family, work began in earnest. Discarded furniture was carried out, carpet was pulled, and all of it burned on a giant bonfire that caught the attention of our volunteer fire department. And then nothing happened for a long while. Occasionally, we’d see a truck or two over there and maybe a big discussion going on, but no forward progress was in evidence.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

II Corinthians 5:17

Then one day, I heard a familiar contemporary Christian song drifting on the breeze. A quick search led me to its source, a young man was listening to a Christian station while tearing old siding off the house. He waved and went about his work. Soon new windows were installed and a glance through them revealed bare studs all the way through the once tangled web of rooms. Walls were being removed, floors were bare, wiring and plumbing were obvious by their absence….clearly they were taking that home back to bare bones and starting from scratch. Hopefully someday soon it will make a nice home for someone again. Ultimately, that’s what all these renovations are about.

Have you ever thought that sometimes we humans need to be taken back to a bare bones structure as well. Maybe we’ve forgotten “whose” we are. Maybe life and circumstances have worn us down until we just don’t know where to turn. Maybe we’re way past ready to give up. Are those voices in your head telling you that you’re not worthy?

If the walls of your life are crashing down, maybe God has a renovation in mind.

Bob Goff, Live In Grace, Walk In Love

Just like those tired old homes are given a bright new opportunity to house a growing family, our hearts and minds can also be renewed. And while we should exercise due diligence in our search for the right contractor to restore or renovate our homes, no search is necessary for the One needed to offer spiritual renovation or restoration. He’s right there beside us always waiting for an invitation to come inside. If your soul feels like demo day has taken control, ask Him to rebuild what He created in the first place. He’ll make you brand new again from the inside out.

I can’t. But God can. He doesn’t reform; he restores. He doesn’t camouflage the old; he restores the new. The Master Builder will pull out the original plan and restore it. He will restore the vigor. He will restore the energy. He will restore the hope. He will restore the soul.

Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment Volume I