Under Construction

My Dad is a contractor. I grew up with my dad and my brother doing lots of physical labor, building things, tearing things down, putting things together, creating things. I am very familiar with home projects, demolition, renovations, construction. Not only was my dad's day job contracting, but my house was also under construction for years. At times it was chaotic, the house was a mess, it was confusing, things were out of order.

Construction and renovations can be challenging because they throw a wrench in life and routine.

Whether it is construction at our local grocery store as they undergo renovations, or construction on the roads on our commute to work, in our favorite restaurant, or in our own homes, it can cause frustration.

If we aren’t prepared for the construction, that's when it can cause frustration because it might cause us to be late for work, or school, or whatever the case may be.

However, if we are prepared for it, it doesn’t bug us so much, and we might find that we are more patient and gracious about the construction. Perhaps, you are just a person that has more patience from the beginning, as cool as a cucumber. Either way, construction happens.

Think about the signs that we often see posted regarding these projects...

“Warning: Construction Ahead”

“Warning: Uneven Roadway”

“Pardon our appearance while we undergo renovations”

“Under Construction: Please be patient with us as we remodel”

“Please excuse our mess as we renovate”

So how do you usually feel about these construction projects? Are we usually gracious and patient, trusting they take time and are for a good purpose? Or are we frustrated because they disrupt life how we want it and they take too long?

I’m sure we have all heard and read the scripture “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”

I was listening to a message recently that was using this verse discussing that change and transformation comes from the inside, that it begins in our mind.

At first I was like okay, yes yes I really do still have a lot of work to do on renewing my thinking patterns and my beliefs, I still have a lot of work to do to be transformed in my mind.

Then he kept going saying permanent lasting change comes from within, but that supernatural change doesn’t come from just changing our behavior on our own, it comes from being transformed by Jesus on the inside. He called it a renovation.

Right there, that word, it hit me like a sledgehammer taking down a wall. RENOVATION.

I realized that I am a renovation in progress. That I am under construction. That revelation FREED me.

It freed me from needing to prove myself. It freed me from all the expectations I put on myself. I don’t have to have it all together. I don’t have to be perfect.

I am under construction. There is a renovation in progress within me.

It made me think of all the construction signs, and caution tape I mentioned above.

It made me want to put a sign on my life, my attitude, my reactions, my character... as a disclaimer to others, but also as a reminder to myself that I am under construction, there is a renovation in progress.

Adopting this mindset that we are under construction, that we are in the process of being renovated from the inside out, allows us to relax and embrace the mercy and the grace that God gives us through his Son Jesus Christ. It gives us peace, freeing us from the need to prove ourselves, and frees us from trying to work out our transformation on our own. As we walk with Jesus and surrender to His spirit daily, he is doing the renovations, in our hearts and our minds.

NOW, THIS is construction that I don’t mind, that I in fact welcome and embrace.

In this lifetime, we are under construction, we are undergoing renovations until the day forever comes, and that is okay.

I can now walk freely, every day, with a slight smile on my face, as I imagine the “CAUTION” sign pointing to me and my life, stating that I am under construction, there is a renovation in progress, but that God, who started a good work in me, will finish it. For that, I am forever grateful.

I am a project of grace, and what a beautiful project that is.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

-Charissa

Charissa is a Performance Coach, Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Fitness Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer, and holds a B.S. in Kinesiology. She also holds an M.A. in Higher Education Administration. She is a follower of Jesus, passionate about faith, fitness, nutrition, a lifestyle of total health, meditating, learning and growing!