Friday, April 25, 2008

Extreme Makeover

My shower has a cracked pan. A few weeks ago, I thought a pan was something you cooked in. But apparently, it is also an important piece of plumbing equipment. And mine has a crack in it.

You can’t even see the pan. It sits below the drain, below the floor of the shower. If there hadn’t been a problem, I would never have known the pan was there. But that crack, though invisible to my eyes, has made itself known.

My shower, which sits in a corner, borders two walls in our home. One wall is in our bathroom. There is now water damage on the floor, on the wall, on the sheetrock. There is even some mold starting to creep its way up that wall. The other wall is in our bedroom. The carpet there is wet, and the baseboard is soaked.

I can’t fix that crack by myself. It is not a do-it-yourself kind of job. If I want my shower to stop leaking, the entire shower is going to have to come out. The walls will have to come down, and the entire area will have to be dried out and cleaned out. Then, I will need to get an entirely new shower.

This is a job for the experts.

I’m sure it will cost a pretty penny. And I won’t be able to use my shower for a while. The whole process isn’t going to be fun.

But the good news is, I’m getting a new bathroom! I’ve never been really happy with that bathroom. Oh, it was fine. I was content. But it wasn’t my dream bathroom. Now, because of the damage caused by this little cracked pan, my bathroom will get an extreme makeover! (Budget friendly edition.)

I can feel an analogy coming on.

Most of us, if we look closely, have cracks in the pans of our lives. It may be a crack in our spirits, that has been there since childhood. It may be a crack in our character. Those tiny cracks are often invisible to the rest of the world. We dress up, put on our best smiles, and convince others that we are solid and smooth. And we choose to ignore in ourselves what others can’t see.

But if left unchecked, those cracks will cause some pretty serious damage! Eventually, the crack will grow, causing all kinds of unwanted things to seep out into our lives. Before we know it, everyone around us will be able to see the wet carpet and the mold that is growing on the surface.

Because the problem is under the surface, it can’t be fixed with a simple patch. It requires the Professional, who will come in, tear out the old, nasty, damaged part of our lives, and replace it with something new and fresh. And that part is no fun at all. It is uncomfortable and annoying. It hurts.

But if we let Him have control, we will always be pleased with the end results! If we let Him come in and tear out, clean out and replace, we will end up with sparkling, shiny new spirits. Extreme Makeover, Soul Edition.

I’ve had a few of those makeovers in my time. They are never fun while they are happening. But trust me, they are worth the trouble. I am a stronger, wiser, better person than I would be, had those cracks stayed in my life.

Now, if I could just figure out how to get my kitchen remodeled, while we’re at it . . .

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

8 comments:

Felisol said...

Dear Renae,
you are clever fining parables.
Living in an elderly house and being such an imperfect human being, I perfectly understand your pictures.

How often though, has the Lord done this total makeover, and yet another pan has cracked.
I think Paul says somewhere, " it's grace over grace that it is not over with us."

Even if he has to tear down the whole building, he will remodel me in his picture.
What a wonderful comfort for this week-end.
From Felisol

Renae said...

I know exactly what you mean, Felisol. It seems I often get one "crack" fixed, when another one shows up! (Both in my life and in my house!) Praise God, He will never give up on us, though!

--r
xx

Tara said...

Hey Renae. Thanks for recommending the book by the Pearls. I have heard of it and wanted to read it, but couldn't remember the name. Thanks for the reminder! :)

Tara

Renae said...

I hope you can get a copy. It really is a great book!

--r

Mrs. Fox said...

One of the scariest parts of my week is Sunday morning when I kneel down and ask God to give me the strength to follow His plan for me and, if it is His will, to make me well. And then I tack on a "Please make me well." :)

There is nothing so humbling as handing over the keys to your house and saying, "Do what you will."

Here's to Faith.

Renae said...

I'm praying the same prayer for you, friend: "Please make Mrs. Fox well."

You are right - it is hard to hand over those keys. But if we don't, we have no hope of improvement!

Hoping to hear good news from you, very soon.

--r
xx

Carol-Ann Allen said...

oh that ol' kitchen!

Renae said...

You have no idea, Carol-Ann! :-)