After much delay, we are finally in the process of painting our house. (Of course, when I say “we” I actually mean “Scott.”) To do so, the shutters had to be removed to paint behind them and make sure no repairs were needed. When the shutters were taken off, it became clear that they hadn’t been removed in quite some time; the paint hidden behind them was pink.
Yes, pink, and at that time Scott reminded me again that the house had been pink when he moved in almost 10 years ago. It was pink – all over, pink – and I had never seen it until the day the shutters came off. I walked onto the porch and wow. Yes, it was pink.
As I looked at the squares of pink paint surrounded by the more optimal gray, I was struck by the thought that it was really true. My husband had bought a pink house. Part of me thought it was funny. More than that, though, it struck me as remarkable that he could see beyond a gaudy pink exterior to see a house that he could eventually call his home. Yes, he painted it gray after buying it, before any pictures could even be taken of the pink house…but while it was still pink, he bought it.
Faced with a bright pink house, my husband didn’t see the pink…but what the pink could become.
He knew that the way it was at that moment was not the way it always had to be. Believing in what could be, he bought an ugly house. On the inside, too, lots of changes were needed. The previous owners hadn’t taken terrific care of things, and their taste wasn’t the same as his. Regardless of all the work that needed to be done, inside and out, he saw it as fixable and invested in it.
I thought about al of that in an instant, and ran back inside to get my camera. I saw the pink I had never seen before, and through it I realized why I was so moved by Scott’s ability to see beyond the present. I was moved by that ability because that vision – that perspective – that attention not to the present, but to the potential – is like that of God. Like our gray house, I have been redeemed by one who knew I had potential and could be improved upon.
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
When I was broken, teary-eyed and curled in a fetal position on the floor, God looked ahead and saw me as victorious. He saw the possibility of triumph.
When I was terrified to leave my house or see anyone but my husband, God saw me visiting Belize and praying for families within their own homes.
When I was alone, God saw me in a vibrant Christ-following community.
God doesn’t stop with the present. He doesn’t look at any of us the way we are today and merely accept that this is how things are. He looks as us today and says, “If they’ll allow it, who they are today will be a launching point for who they will be tomorrow.”
God doesn’t witness our mistakes and see us as failures. He sees mistakes and imagines lessons learned.
He doesn’t see our sadness and declare us to be broken beyond repair. He sees our lowest points and imagines a testimony.
For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Wherever you are today, God is not finished with you. He sees you, and regardless of what you think you are or what the world says of you, He knows who you really are. He created you…He purchased you…and He knows all you can be.
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)
None of us are beyond the scope of God’s renovations. He moves in and changes everything. He promises it. Let Him do it, and it will be beautiful.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRMyAPW0bDg?rel=0]
Take, me, make me
All You want me to be
That’s all I’m asking, all I’m asking
Welcome to this heart of mine
I’ve buried under prideful vines
Grown to hide the mess I’ve made
Inside of me
Come decorate, Lord
Open up the creaking door
And walk upon the dusty floor
Scrape away the guilty stains
Until no sin or shame remain
Spread Your love upon the walls
And occupy the empty halls
Until the man I am has faded
No more doors are barricaded
Chorus:
Come inside this heart of mine
It’s not my own
Make it home
Come and take this heart and make it
All Your own
Welcome home
Take a seat, pull up a chair
Forgive me for the disrepair
And the souvenirs from floor to ceiling
Gathered on my search for meaning
Every closet’s filled with clutter
Messes yet to be discovered
I’m overwhelmed, I understand
I can’t make this place all that You can
I took the space that You placed in me
Redecorated in shades of greed
And I made sure every door stayed locked
Every window blocked, and still You knocked
Take me, make me
All You want me to be
That’s all I’m asking, all I’m asking