Not long ago, my wife Jen and I bought a hundred-year-old farmhouse in old-town Buda, Texas. At the time, it seemed like the perfect renovation project for us. It was situated on a beautiful one-acre lot with twelve pecan trees and was in the exact part of town we hoped for. It suited our family perfectly in every way, everything, that is, except the house itself.
The house was rundown and tired.
While the exterior held its original charm, the inside seemed hopeless. It had obvious “updates” and additions that screamed of decades past. Each addition was like another domino falling away from its historical allure. Each one making it less likely to suit the Hatmaker family.
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But we didn’t consider it based on its current condition; we bought it for its potential. We knew what we could make of it. So we bought the home, sold our old one, and moved in as is.
We lived in the house during the demolition and deconstruction. That was definitely the most difficult part. There were times without heat, water, a living room, and the entire time we were without a kitchen. Everything that made home comfortable was displaced during that time. Construction dust and debris were everywhere, and nothing seemed to be going as planned.
But there was a moment when the old drywall was ripped away, the walls were gone, and we could finally see the original studs that held the house together. What we saw was a solid house. The craftsmanship was amazing. For the first time we could see what we were really working with, and hope was restored that it was worth the sacrifice.
Then the fun began. Our plan was to restore the home to suit our family, adding a bedroom here, a bathroom there. Repurposing everything we could, each room had our personal touch, design, and feel. It wasn’t exactly like the home was when it was first built. Instead, it was better than new, because it was built with my family in mind.
The Bible discusses a Gospel that continues to work in us throughout our lives. It’s a gospel that does way more than just save us, it transforms us, and completely restores us.
Transformation often starts with some deconstruction, stripping away the years of short-sighted renovations, worn-down materials, and mistakes. Faith works in the same way, taking what was broken and restoring it. Redeeming lost moments, broken opportunities, failures, and shortcomings.
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Here’s a little secret that’s sometimes we forget: we can’t fix ourselves. But the good news is Jesus is in the business of putting broken things back together. When we trust the gospel, Jesus redeems our past, our present, and our future by restoring our souls, our story, and our hope.
Corinthians tells us that we were bought with a price. And just like that run-down house we bought to remodel on HGTV, God didn’t purchase us based on our current condition; He sees our potential. He knows what He can make of us.
