I've always had a thing for HGTV. When I was a kid my step-mom and I used to watch it together. Some of our favorites were House Hunters and Curb Appeal. We leaned a lot more on the H than the G to be honest, we weren't the gardening type. There was something so amazing about seeing all the crazy nice homes that people would choose to buy or the crappy ones they would choose to make better.
Recently I have been on a bit of a kick. It might be because my roommate and I are about to move into a new house or it could be that I miss Texas, but a few weeks ago I started watching Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gains. I've seen a lot of episodes but I decided to start from episode one and go through all the seasons. It's been a pretty good time.
If you have never had the opportunity to watch an episode, it essentially consists of a family that buys the worst house in a neighborhood and Chip and Joanna come in and fix it up. They take an old broken home and completely rip it out until there is just a shell, then they rebuild it all. It's fascinating to watch the transformation.
There are three main factors in the house coming out looking fantastic in the end:
1) Vision. Chip and Joanna walk into a broken home and they don't focus on what it is, they focus on what it can be.
2) Skill. Between Chip's experience in construction and Joanna's talent in interior design, the two have the perfect skill set to get the job done.
3) Budget. It doesn't matter how great the vision or how talented the workmen, If the homeowner doesn't have the budget, it's not getting done.
These three factors are also equally important when it comes to getting our own house in order and living the life that God has called us to live. Check it out:
What does your house look like?
Did you know the Bible calls you and I God's "Building"?
Yep. 1 Corinthians 3:9. Check it out.
It's highly likely that there are areas of our life that are better than others.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Does your outside persona match your inner private life? Do you feel like you have purpose? Are you broken or empty?
We have to be honest with ourselves here. No jokes. It's highly likely that there are areas of our life that are better than others. Rooms that we feel really good about showing to guests but others that we wouldn't dare let anyone see. These rooms need restoring. These places that are broken, gross, junky and dark.
Here's a fact: You'll never find restoration if you don't admit that you need it.
Something that I love about God is that even if we don't know that we have those kinds of rooms in our house. Even if we don't realize that something's broken, if we ask him to show us, he always will. If we don't have the VISION necessary for restoration to happen, He always does... Especially in our lowest places. When we are weakest is when He becomes the strongest. Wow... Isn't that amazing?!
Stop acting like you can fix it.
I just bought my first tool box about a month ago. It was a pretty exciting time. It was mainly because I needed to put together a new TV and that required a screwdriver –which I did not have. So when I went to the store to get one, I figured I might as well get a hammer and a few other things while I'm at it.
Suffice it to say, I'm not a handy man. I 100% recognize that I have zero skill in that area and I don't pretend to. I tried to mount my 55 inch TV on the wall and it almost fell. Luckily I had a friend that could come over and help me secure it.
So many of us are exactly like this when it comes to our messed up lives.
It's funny. I've never seen an episode of Fixer Upper where the homeowner tries to tell Chip and Joanna what they should do with a space. They just let them do it.
I've never seen an episode of Fixer Upper where the homeowner tries to tell Chip and Joanna what they should do with a space.
If we invite the God of Heaven and Earth, the builder of this house, in to make things better, He is the only one who has the SKILL to get the job done. Trust Him and stop acting like you can fix it... you can't. The quicker you get that, the quicker things get done.
What's your Budget?
The ability that Chip and Joanna have to be able to transform a home, all depends on how much margin the homeowner has in their budget between the purchasing price and the actual funds they have available.
Buying a home is no joke. Homes are not typically purchased with cash, but with a mortgage lender. These lenders require a lot of information before they will consider lending you the money for a home. Things like the last five years of tax information, proof of income, current amount of debt, and so on. All of these things determine how much you will be given.
Here's where this connects to our analogy. The Lord is able to do amazing things with broken lives, but He can only do what you and I are at the capacity to allow and receive.
In other words, if you are not currently living in a place where you are wanting and pursuing transformation, it's going to be hard for God to do anything. If you are not putting yourself in a posture to receive from Him, then it's going to be hard for him to give.
We all have a BUDGET that we have built up of desire, necessity and desperation where we know it's time for an overhaul of the house. But if those things are not in surplus and there's still a piece of you that kind of likes the house how it is, well, change will likely be short lived.
We all have a budget that we have built up of desire, necessity and desperation where we know it's time for an overhaul of the house.
Are you ready?
At the end of every episode, right before the great reveal, Chip or Joanna always say the line, "Are you ready to see your fixer upper?"
Here's a fact: God is ready. Are you?
He is in the business of taking lives that are broken and making them whole. He loves seeing transformation happen. What you thought was okay, he wants to make amazing.
Ask Him to come in and rip you down to just a shell and rebuild you. You'll be glad you did.
Until next time,
JT
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