In this life, friends come alongside us. Some are for a season. Some are friends for life. When we were a young, just married couple right out of college, a couple in our church came alongside us. They have been like family. We have walked roads of joy and roads of sorrow. Their faith was strong and an example to us.

The husband, Wayne, could build, refinish, redecorate…the skill Father God placed in his hands would amaze you. When he began a demolition to redecorate a room or a house, his favorite phrase was, “You gotta make a mess to make something pretty.”

I’m pretty sure there were plenty of homeowners who would return home to find a room in shambles. Carpet or floor covering ripped up and thrown out. Walls scraped down to remove wallpaper or layers of paint. It could scare you to death. I know, because it happened to me! Wayne would see the horror on your face and say, “ You gotta make a mess to make something pretty.”

In just a few days, the new room would begin to take shape. New paint. New windows. Maybe new hardware. New floors. Oh the beauty of that demolished room when he was finished. You would not believe it was the same place. Wayne was right.

I’ve thought about Wayne saying that for years and years. It reminds me that when I came to Jesus I was like that old room. There was a lot of demolition, a lot of restructuring, the old me being scraped down and purged of the old life. But as Jesus has been restoring me, I can see a new me coming into being. I realize I live in the tension of “already” and “ not yet”.
I have been redeemed, forgiven, and lavished with grace. But I am not what I will be when I find myself in Eternity.

It’s true for all of us. We are being made new. Sometimes the process isn’t pretty. But be patient dear ones. Our Abba God is at work. He might be making a mess (in our eyes) but be assured He is making something pretty.