Marsha Jordan
Author of Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter
Web Site:
www.hugsandhope.org/mj.htm
Email:
hugsandhope@gmail.com
Extreme Makeover
The husband and I are "boat people." Not the kind
that fled from
Viet Nam. We’re the kind of boat people who
drive half a day to wait in line for an hour at the
boat landing, just to take a thirty minute boat
ride.
H.M. is actually more of a boat person than I am.
Having nearly drowned in a high school swimming
class, I don’t much like water and could live
without setting foot in it except that I must shower
occasionally. In fact, I’m uncomfortable near any
body of water unless it has a drain and a faucet.
The husband has spent nearly as much of his life
in water as he’s spent on land. He’s so impassioned
with restoring antique wood boats that he can’t
resist a rotted hull any more than a hemorrhoid
sufferer can resist Preparation H.
When I look at a dilapidated boat, I see
peeling paint, rusted chrome, and rotted wood. The
husband, however, envisions the boat’s previous
splendor and the magnificent treasure that it will
be after he's worked his magic. He gets more excited
than a squirrel in a peanut warehouse, and he can
hardly wait to begin restoring his treasure to
perfection.
I think that’s how God is with us. He
sees what we're made of; but He also knows how much
better we can be, if we allow Him to renovate us
from the inside out. Just as the husband can’t wait
to refinish a boat, God is eager to perfect each of
His people. Unfortunately, we’re not always eager to
let Him. We're content to remain as we are. That is,
until life falls apart. Usually, it is only then
that we soften, becoming compliant and changeable.
Boats that come into the husband's shop for
rejuvenation look aged, battle scarred, and worn
out. Yet, they’re never beyond repair. He must often
gut entire sections that have rotted. With tender
care, he reconstructs them. He replaces missing
parts, overhauls the engine, and refinishes the
chrome.
The last step in the restoration process is to
painstakingly apply layer upon layer of varnish. He
sands and polishes it to produce a smooth finish in
which he can see his reflection. In a matter of
months, he transforms old wrecks into trophy
winners. It’s possible because he’s a craftsman who
knows what he's doing.
People can also be reconstructed by a master
craftsman. Who better than our creator could
transform our brokeness? Even renovations that seem
impossible become glorious possibilities with the
master's skillful touch.
Have you felt like a battered old boat,
beaten by the waves and rocks of life? Have you
suffered abuse and neglect like a peeling, rotted
hull? Are you weary and no longer able to stay
afloat in the sea of adversity? Maybe, like
an antique boat, you need a restoration.
God wants to remove from your heart the
decayed parts affected by bitterness, selfishness,
unforgiveness, or other sins. Just as the husband is
compelled to undertake boat projects, because he’s
anxious to see what they can become, God is eager to
see His purpose for you completed. His goal is a
total makeover, and He will persevere until he’s
renovated your heart. If you don’t resist
His makeover, you’ll become like Him. Then, like the
new finish of a renovated wood boat, you will
reflect the image of the one who restored you.
Though God loves you just as you are, He
can't leave you that way any more than the husband
can turn away from an old weathered boat. H.M. has a
gift for recognizing what’s worn out but precious,
and making it new again. God also recognizes the
value of his precious children, and He lovingly
offers us a new life.
Will you allow His masterful touch to restore
your heart?
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article is copyrighted by the author. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this article may be reprinted without
permission of the author.
©Copyright 2007
