Come In! Come In! Make Yourself at Home.

Last year I bought my first house. After years of dreaming and watching the TLC network I finally had a place to call my own, and decorate with my style. I signed the paperwork at 9 am and by 10:30 I had a bottle of champagne, paint in my hair, and one wall finished. Yes, my remodeling dreams were coming true, but believe me, there was a lot of work to do.
See the previous owner, Eileen, had fancied herself a crafter. The bathroom showed it. The school bus yellow walls, with purple hand-stenciled morning glory border were painful to look at. Literally. Plus, the light fixture was covered with magenta tiles and grout, resembling something a child would make at summer camp. But nothing a few hours and a trip to Home Depot couldn't fix.
"This house will be easy to make over." I thought to myself. "Paint the living room and the bathroom, and Viola! Dream house!"

However things got a little more dramatic on moving day.
Since the temperature was mild, we turned off the air conditioning to leave the doors open as we carried in furniture. My family and friends worked hard all morning, and then…the humidity kicked in. And with the humidity came a horrible smell! Apparently, along with crafting, Eileen also owned a non-potty trained dog. And while she had done a good job removing the stains from the carpet, it still lingered in the padding and even the sub-flooring. The odor resembled fish and urine- and it had to go!
A few weeks later my family and friends were once again hard at work, tearing out stinky carpet and laying beautiful laminate flooring. In the following two days I successfully added the term "1/4 inch round" to my vocabulary and created a home worthy of Ty Pennington's approval. (Oh…let's take a moment to dream of Ty…sigh. Okay, okay, that's enough. No more imagining Ty.)

But imagine with me just for a moment, how ridiculous it would have been if Eileen had tried to manage the house, after she'd sold it to me. She might have said, "I know these living room walls are white and bland, but I'm comfortable that way. I'm not a big fan of change, you know.
And the bathroom? Well, you can see I spent a lot of time stenciling the border on top. And yellow is my favorite. Let's just keep it 'as is' okay?
The odor? Well, I just love my poopsie-woopsie too much to put him outside in the hot sun. Besides, you can only really smell it in the fall…and winter…and spring. Pulling up all the carpet would be a lot of hard work. I really don't think it's necessary."

What would you say to that? Yeah, me too! " This is my house now, and I need to make comfortable so I can live here! I can't settle for this mess!"
Can I confess to you? I've acted like Eileen before. No, not with a house, but with my heart. Ten years ago I invited Jesus to live there, yet I tried to retain control of it's condition. Looking back, I'm sure the conversation could have looked something like this:

"Come in, come in Jesus! Oh, I'm so glad you're here! Please, please, make yourself at home! After all this is your home now. I've emptied out everything so you could fill it. I hope you'll like it here. I'm so excited to have you!
…er... What do you mean? What's what?…Oh! That?…well that's just a bit of jealousy. I don't really us it much, just once in a while. It's just over there for storage, really….
…And that? …Well, that's my food idolatry, - I kinda need that. I mean, what am I supposed to use for comfort? But see, it doesn't take up much room. Just that little corner really. You'll still have plenty of room.
…What smell? Oh, that? I got burned badly once. Yeah, that smell's a bit of bitterness lingering around in the air. I tried a few things to get rid of that but, - you know. I guess it's here for good. That one's not really my fault though, it was his fault…."

Just as silly as Eileen isn't it? In the same way I'd never be able to live in a home that was a stinky, crafty nightmare, Jesus can never live comfortably in a messy heart.

But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language…you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…and the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love…and the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. (Col 3:8-15)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

Jesus is in the professional renovation business. If you invite him in at 9 am, by 10:30 He's already begun to gently remodel. Is the progress slow moving? Could be. Painful? Sometimes. Worth it? Always. Just look at what we are promised in the book of Jude:

But you, dear friends, must continue to build your lives on the foundation of your holy faith. And continue to pray as you are directed by the Holy Spirit. Live in such a way that God's love can bless you as you wait for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. (V.20)

Let's get ready for an extreme- makeover!