Taking that wall out

a verse or two

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” Ps 51:10 (the Message)

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Taking that wall out.

During the week I’ve heard builders at work in the house next door to the church. When our new church neighbours moved in at the end of last year I remember them saying they would be making some changes. This week a wall has come out, a new hot water cylinder is going in, a kitchen is being renewed and shifted and other renovations are happening.

Something I’m musing on is……often when folk move into a new house renovations become order of the day. And somewhere in our mind (either conscious or subconscious) is the thought ‘how did the previous owners put up with it the way it was’, or ‘why didn’t they do such- n- such’. Of course one reason could be purely financial, but there is another reason. The thing is, when we have lived in a place for a while, we lose a certain amount of objectivity on how things are. Subjectivity takes over and it seems to us things are as they are and that is OK. And so, it takes a good friend to visit, someone outside of ourselves (someone objective) to come along, and ask ‘have you ever thought of taking that wall out’.

And then there are the discoveries. We all have heard stories of people who have discovered beautiful floor boards under carpets while renovating. And the deeper they go, the more they discover the beauty of what the builder originally intended.

Lent is a time to let our good objective friend Christ wander along and suggest that perhaps, in our heart, a wall or two needs to come out. Let him renew the old hot water cylinder in the very depth of your being so as to warm your very soul. Ask the great keeper of the heart to strip back the carpets to reveal the beautiful floor boards of our hearts – let Him polish and oil them. King David prayed “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Ps 51:7). Allow the builder to restore your soul to what He originally intended.

Something to do: Heart inspection.

How do we let The Builder renew our heart? Be intentional. Spend some time alone intentionally asking questions of heart renovation. What’s become stale? What grates? Why does it grate? And why is that so? And when reading the Bible, why not read from a different translation to what you normally use for the rest of this year. The different wordings might help refresh the verses to your soul – they might help bring a fresh objectivity to familiar Bible passages.

God bless you all, I love you. Jon.

To Ponder and Pray: A prayer of the Church of South India.

O Lord, forgive the sins of your servants. May we banish from our minds all disunion and strife; may our souls be cleansed from all hatred and malice toward others, and may we receive the fellowship of the holy meal in oneness of mind and peace with one another.