When God Remodels Your Life

I have discovered that the most significant and important life changes can be the most difficult. Imagine resolving that you want to remodel your home. Your initial thoughts may be dreams of the exciting and creative possibilities. You may imagine the end results. Perhaps you are contemplating the new beautiful space you will entertain in, or replacing old and worn out appliances in the kitchen. But, there is a lot that has to happen between point A and point B.

Soon, you find out how much this adventure will cost – probably a bit more money than is in your original budget. Next, your life begins to undergo significant changes. Boxes of clutter must be sorted through and removed, furniture is stacked up in rooms. Walls come down. Plastic and tape go up. Dust is everywhere. You find yourself unable to find simple everyday items, because everything is turned inside out and upside down. Yet, you take comfort in knowing that the end result will be what the architect showed you on paper.

The frustrations and joys of redesigning a room or remodeling a home – as strenuous as they can be, are very mild compared to times when the chief architect of our souls begins a remodel or redirection of our lives. Sometimes – well, more often than not – these changes or plans involve relationships and people we love.

The biggest difference in spiritual, relational or ministry remodeling and a home remodeling is that we do not get to see the plans and it is not our dream or vision board that decides our direction. When we surrender ourselves completely to the Lord Jesus, to be used of his service and for his glory, he is the one who makes the plan. We are the ones who follow and trust. We need to trust him with the hearts of others. We need to relinquish all control.

What can look like an exciting life “redirection or renovation” can suddenly become overwhelming when the old familiar furniture (like jobs, relationship habits, ministry positions – you can fill in the blanks) is moved out so the Lord can knock down some walls that stand in the way of the new space he will make for his kingdom in your life. You may be looking at the progress and saying, “I’m not sure I like the direction this is going. This is not what I signed up for.” Or you may wonder, “Why, oh why is my life turning out this way? I never thought it would look like this. This is not what I wanted for this relationship or situation.”

Self pity can settle in. You may feel lost in the dust of God renovating your life. It may feel more like you are wandering in the wilderness than stepping into the promised land. You may feel forgotten or like you are not sure that God still wants to use you.

But today, as I prayed through some specific topics one more time, the Lord reminded me with a still small voice that I surrendered to him. I surrender to him on a daily basis.

“Take my life, Lord. Use me to your glory. Let my life bring glory to you. Let my family bring glory to you.”

He told me that I surrendered to him and now I need to trust that he is working. When you live in a state of surrender, sometimes there are growing pains. When we pray to surrender, we must realize that surrender takes faith. What is faith? “The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

We do not get to see the blue print ahead of time. We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinth. 5:7) What we do get to see is Jesus. We see the master architect of our lives. We see and know that he loves us and that he blesses those whose hearts trust in him. We know that he is the author and perfecter of our faith. He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

He has counted every hair on our heads. He holds our tears in a bottle. He knows that our lives are buy a breath or a mist. He fulfilled this prophecy in Isaiah 42:

A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,

till he has brought justice through to victory.

In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Whenever God leads his people, it is to victory and freedom. However, to be released from the old and embrace the new, we sometimes must experience a transition, much like the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea or the Sinai desert to enter the promised land. God wants to expand his kingdom, which means to expand the “tents” of those who love him. We are what changes when God’s kingdom grows.

This means we will personally go through times of growth, which requires expanding our personal borders. Any growth is painful at first. It requires inconvenience. It will not look like the end product. But, when you follow the architect of your soul, don’t mind the dust. Trust that he knows what he is doing as the master builder in your life.