Renovation

Have you looked at your kitchen, bathroom, or even your living room and thought...I really want to renovate this! It's ugly, moldy, outdated or broken and it needs to be changed. Then you think about the money, the time and the mess that it's gonna make, but even when you weigh all the bad that can and will happen with a renovation - you still believe it would be a good idea. And then when you are done, the bills are paid and the mess is cleaned up - you take a look at the beautiful new bathroom or kitchen, you sigh with relief and are happy that you did the thing and made your home a better place!

Before… Eww.

My husband and I had a great idea to change out our old concrete utility sink in the basement (that looked like a movie prop from a horror movie) and replace it with a clean brand new sink! We researched the right sink, bought all the new pipes, fittings, new sink and all the other stuff. One weekend we decided to start. It was a lot of hard work and quite gross to take out the old stinky concrete sink and corroded pipes that had 50 years of grime and yuck in it! David did all of the heavy lifting and most of the work and I did the clean up. And we were proud of what we accomplished. Until the next time we did laundry and the sink drain backed up sewer water into our basement and tarnishing all that we did. So we called a plumber...come to find out that the sewer line that runs under our backyard had a dent in it and needed to be replaced as well, but because the pipe that went from the sink to the sewer line was so filled with gunk that it was always a trickle and never caused too much problem. But when it was replace with a new clean pipe the water flowed normal and caused a backup! So we replaced the line. Our little sink replacement project turned into a much larger project! Was it a pain in the butt - YES! Was it expensive - OH BOY WAS IT! Was it worth it in the end - ABSOLUTELY!

After…much better!

I want to challenge you to look at your life. Do you need a renovation in your life? Maybe in the relationship with your kids or significant other. Maybe your heart needs a makeover or your mind needs to be cleaned out of the old moldy thoughts that cause more trouble than good. Or maybe there is a friendship that needs to be cut out or you need to delete TikTok off of your phone - who knows.

A couple thoughts :

1. Renovate one thing at a time. Start small. You don't normally re-do a whole house at once. It's so much work at once and can be overwhelming.

2. It's gonna cost something. It costs money, time and effort to renovate a room. This cost is worth it in the end and usually increases the value of your home. Same with your life.

3. It causes a mess and is inconvenient. Enough said.

4. Sometimes it brings out a bigger problem that needs to be fixed. See story above! Not all renovations do this, but a lot of small problems will point to a larger problem that is the real issue to begin with.

5. Sometimes (and usually) you need to call in a professional or someone with more expertise to help out. Best thing about being a follower of Jesus - he can help.

6. When it's done, it usually improves your life and is totally worth it!

Romans 12:1-2

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I'll be praying for you! Let me know if I can help you in any way with your reno!