Surprise!!! That’s a word you really don’t like to hear when you’re involved in a remodeling project. Yet the truth is, there probably isn’t a remodeling project ever attempted that hasn’t provided a “surprise” or two somewhere along the way.
Well, as many of you know, we have recently started a remodeling project at our church facility. We are remodeling the kitchen and the dining room. The project started about two weeks ago and we’re mostly in the “tear out” phase of things.
Sidenote…Now in case you weren’t there at the end of worship several weeks back, when Dawn Williams, the Trustee Chair, presented the remodeling plan to the congregation, I’ll give a quick summary of things. The basic footprint and floor plan of the kitchen and dining room are not changing. No walls are being torn out, and no new walls are going up. But there is going to be new flooring, new lighting, new drop ceiling, new cabinets, many new appliances, and freshly painted and textured walls. In other words, the kitchen and dining room is really getting a complete refresh and makeover. Considering all the meals and activities that have been served out of the kitchen and dining room, an update and refresh is certainly in order. Our kitchen and dining room gets a lot of use, and I’m glad for that. I believe a church facility should wear out from use rather than rust-out from disuse.
Well, back to our remodeling project. We are just a couple weeks into the project and already there has been a surprise or two…something that was unexpected. There was a crack in the floor that wasn’t visible until old linoleum was removed. Taking down the old drop ceiling reveals a couple of windows that weren’t known about. Or there’s a task that is going to take some different tools to accomplish. You understand how that goes. There are always a few unknowns with a project…which means there are always going to be some surprises.
Well, the same reality can be true in our spiritual lives as well. From time to time, we need to do a “spiritual” remodeling within our being. Our views about God, faith, humanity, who our neighbor is, etc. has to be updated. We learn or experience something new about God, God’s love, God’s presence, or even God’s direction for our lives, and so we learn and grow, which means changes take place in our understanding, thus our faith gets remodeled a little. But at least what I have found is that often when God is doing a little remodeling within me there are often few surprises that pop up or more specifically that God points out.
God, I didn’t realize that anger was there! I didn’t know that prejudice was present in my heart. I never wanted to admit that “issue” was still impacting my mind. Over time I have found that the Spirit slowly peels back the layers of my inner being to expose what holds me back or what trips me up so that God can continue the work of making me into the follower of Jesus that God sees is possible and is most useful for the Kingdom of God here on earth.
It is exciting to watch the remodeling project take place in our church. I know it can be a pain and inconvenient to get there…but the finished or remodeled rooms will look amazing. I am convinced of that. In the same manner, the way God works in our lives to remodel each of us to be more effective and faithful in our following, can be a slow process but the end result can make God smile. By the way, the process of growing and being remodeled on the inside is what John Wesley referred to as Sanctification. God continually working to remove our rough edges to make us more and more in the likeness of Christ. So, what part of your life, faith, heart, or mind is God working on? Embrace the uncertainty, the surprises, and the mess…in the long run, it will lead to something beautiful and useful!!!
One final note – The Kitchen/Dining Room project is anticipated to cost roughly $120,000. The Trustees have had some funds on hand and have received some donations, but there is still a significant need for donations. If you would like to donate to help with this updating project, please make your check out to the church and put in the memo, Kitchen Fund. Thank you so much!
Pastor Keith