Renovation

As I said before, I worked a lot of construction as a young man. It was cool to see a project from beginning to end. What once was an empty lot became a school, hospital or a large office building in the span of 12 to 18 months. I would later find out that new construction was by far and away easier and more enjoyable than renovation.


When I was in my twenties I was hired onto a job that was a renovation of an old multi floored furniture store. It had been vacated and had sat empty for awhile. The job was to turn it into an office building. From the first day I hated this one. Up the elevator I went with a 90lb jack hammer. My first mission was to break through two layers of brick wall at prescribed locations so that windows could be installed (where there had been none) in the second floor warehouse area.

There was no ventilation to speak of so there was dust and rubble everywhere. We had to wear hard hats, mask and goggles on the second floor all day long. There was destruction going on everywhere in the building. It was an old brick structure, so if felt like I was working in a cave or a mine that was about to cave in!

Yea, I was in my twenties and in good shape physically, but have you ever ran a 90lb jack hammer... 3ft upside a wall...for eight hours a day?! That was manual labor as hard as I have ever done it!

The outside of the building appeared to be in good shape. Only cosmetic work was done on the outside. Clean the walls, paint the trim, put in some new doors and some nice landscaping on the grounds.

I look back now and see this building's renovation as a comparison of how God has worked in me. Not much was needed on the outside, I could always APPEAR to be OK on the outside. But the inside was an absolute mess. My real condition could only be "renovated" by extensive reconstruction on the inside.

It was not always easy, because sin had absolutely caused me to "cave in". God was the one on the "jackhammer" (Jesus) who opened me up from the inside and now the fresh air of forgiveness, mercy and grace can come in because I have "opened the windows" He offered and "installed" in me for free!

Sometimes this "old building" still needs some "cleaning out", but He is always there to renovate!

Drop me a line,

Greg