You Ready to See Your Fixer Upper?

Who doesn’t love HGTV’s Fixer Upper? My Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds go crazy during and after each episode. My girlfriends and I love Joanna and all her decorating tips and ideas. And Chip? Well, he’s hilarious. He inspires Joanna and challenges her in so many ways.

What I love about this show, however, has nothing to do with shiplap, farmhouse sinks or color scheme ideas for my home. I love it because Chip and Joanna revitalize dilapidated houses into beautiful homes. I also love it because the show reminds me of what God has done in the life of a believer.

We sought something better. As unbelievers, we wanted more—more of something. So we sought out to find our purpose. We looked for meaning. We desired satisfaction, happiness and most of all peace. We tried everything else and then God took us by the hand and led us to the perfect place.

We now trust God and His plan for our lives. We completely put our faith in Jesus and our walk with God began. So now we scour over scripture and learn God’s will for our lives. Rick Warren wrote, “Trusting God completely means having faith that He knows what is best for your life. You expect Him to keep His promises, help you with problems, and do the impossible when necessary.”

God’s Word means a solid foundation. We eagerly try to build our lives on truth despite what the culture says and does. We learn the truth by studying God’s Word and apply it to our lives. And we grow by surrounding ourselves with others believers to challenge us. We learn to discern falsehoods as we seek to build a strong biblical worldview. We understand when hardships come our foundation will stand the test of time.

He makes changes, tears down walls. He opens us up to great possibilities. We are a work in progress. Our spiritual transformation is a slow process of growth. Yet, we see and experience amazing changes that only God could do in our lives. We encounter amazing grace every moment of our lives.

He uses every part of our lives, even our failures for His glory. Paul wrote, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:6-7, NIV)

These jars of clay—fragile, chipped and imperfect—demonstrate the “all-surpassing power” of God through our messy, fractured and shattered lives. Our lives are exactly as God intended. Rick Warren writes, “We stand as monuments of God’s grace, and we bear an inscription written in God’s own hand: ‘Within this earthen container, the One True God is at work."

YOU ready to see your fixer upper?

Go look in the mirror. What do you see? Do you see the handiwork of God in your life? Every morning of every day, we can wake up and anticipate renewal. We can expect a shower of grace and a heavy dose of mercy. We can trust that our lives reveal God’s glory!

Next time you watch the show, remember God took our deteriorating, dying souls and made them new—He made us beautiful! Every single moment of our lives God works in us and lavishes us with His love. And He adorns us with courage, compassion and strength (and so much more) so He can display to the rest of the world His handiwork—so we can go out and show the world our worth because of what God has done in our lives.

Picture courtesy of www.magnoliahomes.net ©Copyright 2014 Magnolia Homes