10 Mar Fixer Upper by Erin Velasquez
Whoa! Life is an amazingly wild adventure. Stress. Laughter. Tears. Joy. In the last few weeks, I’ve been traversing a more challenging trail than my life usually requires.
For the past year and a half, we have been house hunting for the perfect home for our family. Finally, before Christmas, we found it, and I fell in love!! What we found was actually far from perfect. I wasn’t exactly in love with it as much as I was in love with the vision I had for it. I could close my eyes and see what it could be. That’s what I fell in love with!
When closing day came, we got the keys, packed everything we own in the garage and started to make my vision a reality. As my husband found his inner Chip Gaines and declared it “Demo Day,” I was all in. That is, until reality struck that we were now are destroying our newest and biggest investment to date, an investment that was actually move-in ready. It wasn’t pretty, but it would have done the job a house should. A brief moment of panic over took me as I saw the crew (parents, aunts, uncles, siblings) ripping down dry wall and smashing tiles. Living in it “as-is” would have been easy. It would have been steady and safe. We would have been comfortable, and I could have convinced myself to forget the dream I had of the home I desired. It would have been a whole lot less stress and just fine. But, it wouldn’t have been as fulfilling.
I’ve since realized that our hearts are like this little house. God paid the highest price for us. There is no greater investment than the one He made. He didn’t send his Son because we are perfect or have it all together. He loves us deeply because he knows the plans He has for us. He longs to get inside and starts to renovate! We must be willing to yield to his will. We may not see it, but He does. We can trust Him. He is in fact the ultimate Master Carpenter! He sees us and just knows that behind those walls we put up in a pitiful attempt to protect ourselves, there is sturdy and beautiful shiplap. Maybe our old habits (like my old and outdated backsplash) could use a little love, joy, peace, patience and kindness (new subway tile). Sure…it’s easier to let things slide and stay comfortable, but then we will never see the full wonder of His vision for our lives.
I believe that fixer upper homes are the best. They provide the opportunity for people to put their unique design into an existing structure. And, just like our hearts are a lot like my fixer upper home, Christ is our ultimate visionary remodeler! He has a unique vision to create a masterpiece out of us! Trust the Lord. His plans never fail!!