It’s easy to
become satisfied with what is old and comfortable—a faded bathrobe, baggy sweats,
stretched-out shoes. Shaking things up takes work and effort. We resist doing
things in a new and different way. Getting out of our comfort zone and taking
on new challenges is even harder the older we get.
Sticking
with the old and comfortable had to go if we were going to paint the interior
of our house. We knew that moving furniture and taking down pictures and window
treatments would reveal lots of dust and dirt. We’d look at the cracks in the
sheet rock, the scuffed-up walls, and chipped baseboards and one of us would
say, “We really do need to paint, but it’s so much work.” This spring, we
decided to bite the bullet.
Picking out
a paint color, a painting contractor, and a start date was half the battle.
Once we made a commitment, we dove into the packing and moving process. We
decided not to paint our sun room now so we could use that room for
storage. Charles had the unenviable task
of taking down wall decor and window treatments that hadn’t been dusted in
quite a while. I packed up all my glassware and dust collectors scattered
around the house. By the end of day two, we were both coughing and sneezing.
But there was no time to stop. We unloaded our master closet, made a mound on
our bed, and covered our clothes with a tarp.
Fortunately,
we have a finished basement with a sofa bed. We piled 6” of padding on top of
the mattress to make it bearable for five or six nights. We hauled clothes, food, and dishes down the
stairs for our week of “glamping.” If you don’t know that term, it means
camping with some of the luxuries of home, such as a bathroom and kitchen
facilities. Is there any other way?
The painters
hope to finish today, and our physical labor will begin again–in reverse order.
Take everything back upstairs, unload the boxes, and take our clothes off our
bed. The best part is that everything will smell and look clean, and we vow to
keep it that way, at least for a while.
During our
recent Easter celebration, we were reminded by our pastor that with the
Resurrection of Jesus, everything became new. Living life encumbered by sin,
the fear of death, and a secular world view has to go in order to fully embrace
the new gift God wants to give us.
We each have a choice to make. We can leave
the dust and dirt in our lives, or pack it up and make a fresh start. When we choose to let God’s Spirit dwell in us, we receive his forgiveness, joy, and
love. Only then will we become new inside and out.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new
creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2
Corinthians 5:17).
