Before & After

Do you like before and after photos? I sure do. I credit the popularity of home renovation tv shows with the desire to appreciate creative improvement in our living spaces—from the outdated and rough to the modern and fresh.

Recently, Hubby and I renovated two full baths at the same time. I know…you think that's crazy, but limiting the number of trips by contractors saved us money. Thank goodness we have a third bath in the basement. We're also fortunate that Hubby and my son were able to do most of the work with the exception of plumbing, floor tile and granite countertops.

We waited for all the materials to arrive for our project and then carefully scheduled the various stages around the subs availability. After all, we're in the construction business and understand how projects progress. And you guessed it; we hit unforeseen complications. These only delayed our project a week or two, but when living in a construction zone, that feels like forever.

Now those home renovation shows are great for gleaning ideas. However, they are detrimental to our expectations. You see, we watch a complete project done in thirty minutes even if it really took a day or weekend or longer. That's simply not real life.

Speaking of expectations, I mentioned in a recent post, Live Streaming Thoughts, that I'm trying to delete some polluted thought patterns. And I find myself frustrated at my progress—a snail's pace. 

That's when God flashed a memory of our recent projects and I'm reminded that sometimes life is difficult especially in the midst of change.

Real progress is a process. Rarely easy or fast. Often messy and gradual.

When I gaze in my past at previous soul-renovation projects and look at the LIFE-after picture, I feel hope creep in and patience sprout. God grants us the ability to look back and view the messy path we've taken so we can enjoy the simpler path ahead.  I'm grateful for the memory of the before-picture because I know the after-picture will be worth the time and effort.

May we never stop soul-repair projects. May our eyes and hearts be open to the soul-improvements that God calls us to renovate. May we always see His sanctifying hand along our journey called LIFE.

What about you? Done any renovation projects lately? At home or in your soul? Please share and enlighten others for their journey.

By the grace of God and perpetual spiritual and emotional renovation, Tammy Van Gils writes and blogs about Hope for the Everblooming Life at Tammyvangils.com. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers Association and Word Word Weavers International. Visit her on Facebook  and Twitter.