I get ridiculously excited in the spray paint aisle at Home Depot because I love a good rummage sale, especially the ones filled with items that are one can away from a total transformation. As I gave new life to an old table this week I was reminded that God must see us like these often overlooked items that are filled with potential but in need of some work.
Furniture needs proper preparation to turn out well – if I hurry through the clean up process I end up with painted cobwebs, rough edges and an uneven finish. Even old furniture has to come to terms with its past before it can move forward and become something new.
Transformation takes time and preparation. I want a transformed life and I want it fast. I also want transformation for my loved ones. I want them to find peace and purpose; to land at a place in life where they both see God and seek God; to clean up their act and surrender their stuff but it’s up to God to do this work of the heart. Softening and scraping them in preparation for the new life only He can bring.
He is the artist who can pick just the right color and finish for the life he has in mind for each of us and every piece will look totally different. Some will end up glossy, others flat; some an intense color, others a variety of beige, but in the hands of the master each will be perfectly repurposed and then perfectly placed. We won’t and don’t all look alike, that is God’s good design.
Do you have someone in your life that doesn’t see their potential the way you do? Surrender them to the process of transformation in prayer. Let God smooth and sand as you stay nearby and believe in the work He is doing.
If you have a story of the finished product God has made out of someone in your life would you share it in the comments section? We could all use the encouragement as we wait and believe.
If the story is ongoing, like most of those in my life, let’s pray for each other. Just leave first names (no details) in the comments section and I’ll pray for every name hoping others will join in as we go.
Prayer is the work we can do until God does the work.