If you or your family have ever done any house renovations, you know that it’s a mess. The idea is to make your space a better, more efficient, more beautiful place to live. In reality, the beauty part is really just wishful thinking.

Demolishing the old structure is a dirty, dusty, thankless job that has to be done before any new construction can take shape. And it seems that lots of old problems and shoddy workmanship are always lurking underneath the drywall. Sometimes shiplap is just a fantasy.

Like pulling on a loose thread, beginning a renovation project always seems to unravel many more projects that need to be done. I call it the domino effect of home repair.

Our spiritual lives can be just like a home renovation project gone wrong. We end up in over our heads with no solution for the problem. A bigger hammer is not always the answer.

Christian, we need the Master Builder to draw up the plans for our soulful remodeling, and we need to patiently undergo some strategic demolition in order to make room for the updated plans.

Can you see any walls that need to be removed? Maybe your foundation needs some repair, or your roof is leaky, or your floors need to be updated.

Perhaps you only need some fresh paint, but you may be in for an extensive makeover. It really just depends on the plans God has for you.

Truly, unless our spiritual houses are built by God, they will never be the beautiful, solid, stately mansions they were intended to be.

A prayer to consider: Lord, help me cooperate on demolition day and trust in your master plans for my spiritual makeover!