As previously noted, I’m not mechanical. Not even close. My
dad, uncle (his brother) and paternal grandfather all were handymen, very
skilled with their hands. Not me. If there’s such a thing as a “mechanic” gene,
I’m lacking it. Under duress I can hammer a nail or turn a screw, but that’s
it. And even those tasks require my most intense concentration.
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| Cable TV home makeover shows offer proof that a total transformation is possible. |
So it comes as a surprise – even to me – that I find some of
HGTV’s programming interesting. Particularly fixer-upper type shows. It’s not
that I’m looking for “how-to” or DIY (do it yourself) tips. Because when you
have two left thumbs, attempting repair or renovation projects around the home isn’t
flirting with disaster. It’s an all-out romance with calamity.
Why then do I watch? Because it amazes me how the “experts”
can take a wreck of a home and turn it into a residential work of art. And it
involves more than paint and surface touches. Many of the projects have termite
problems; wiring dating back to the early 20th century; décor that
went out with the Kennedy administration; defective plumbing, and floor plans
that look like they were conceived by three-year-olds with LEGOS. Massive renovation is needed.
As the designers and contractors guide would-be buyers and
renters through various properties, explaining how they could perform the habitational
equivalents of sow’s ears made into silk purses, I think, “No way. The only
thing that could help that house (or apartment) would be utter demolition.” But
by the end of the program, voila! They’re performed a makeover that would turn
plastic surgeons emerald with envy.
Some of the housing transformations seem nothing short of
miraculous. The homeowners could not have brought about the changes. They
couldn’t even have envisioned them. And yet, when it’s all finished, everyone
exclaims, “This is perfect! It’s more than we could have dreamed. I can’t
believe it!”
In a very real sense this is what God desires to do in each
of our lives. If we’re honest, we all admit we’re messed up. Not only are we
unable to live up to God’s standards; we can’t even live up to our own. Have
you ever intended to be kind and failed to do so? Have you ever admitted you
weren’t nearly as loving or caring as you should be? Have you ever said that
thing you can’t believe you said? Or have you ever realized your best
intentions were just that – intentions never acted upon, therefore never
realized?
There are misconceptions even within what’s commonly
referred to as Christianity. One is that we’ve got to clean up our own act, to
try to be deserving of God’s approval and acceptance. Good luck! That’s like
trying to convince a rotted log it’s got to turn itself into material suitable
for a beautiful hardwood floor. It’s not going to happen.
Some will respond, “Nobody’s perfect. God knows that, and
accepts us just as we are.” Nice sentiments, but that concept is reflected
nowhere in the Scriptures. Essentially it says God loves us as we are – but
loves us too much to leave us that way. Because, as Isaiah 64:6 asserts, “All
of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like
filthy rags.” I won’t give you the literal meaning of “filthy rags,” but if
you’re interested you can look it up. It’s not referring to dust cloths.
In case we’re tempted to dismiss that statement as being
strictly for Old Testament people, Romans 3:10 declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” And it’s not just
talking about politicians. The passage continues, “there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned
away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not
even one.” Wow! Don’t worry about “nobody’s perfect.” We’re light-years
from that.
Reading this makes us want to echo the question of Jesus’
disciples: “Who then can be saved?” (Luke
18:26). Jesus responded with the answer that remains true today: “What is impossible with men is possible
with God” (Luke 18:27).
If there is a “secret” to the so-called Christian life, this is
it. Living the life God requires isn’t difficult – it’s impossible in our own
efforts. It requires, like the home improvement shows on TV, a complete
makeover. A transformation. The good news is that God is in the transformation
business. It’s His specialty.
That’s why it was necessary for Christ to go to the cross on
our behalf, to be the sacrificial Lamb for us. Our sins, our debts, could be
reconciled only by the direct, personal action of the one to whom we’re
indebted, the one we’ve sinned against, the only one who could wipe the slate
clean.
More than that, God wanted to offer not only life after
death, but life before death. But to do that meant more than a little touch-up.
Nothing short of a total transformation is sufficient. As it says in 2
Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!” And Galatians 2:20 affirms that truth:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Not just a fresh coat of paint, a bit of plaster to cover up
some holes in the wall, or a little duct tape. That’s hardly enough. God
desires – and demands – a complete, total, extreme spiritual makeover. And He’s
the only one that can achieve it.
Only then, as the apostle Paul wrote, can we be “confident of this, that he who began a good
work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians
1:6). And God can say with authority, “I
am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5).
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