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By the time we are ready for God’s soon coming Kingdom to be ushered in by Jesus Christ we, those whom God has given His Spirit, will have all been changed to the point of being almost unrecognisable, having had an extreme makeover beginning with our hearts and minds.
On this topic of extreme makeovers, there is one programme on TV I do not ever get tired of viewing which is called “Fixer Upper”. It is an indulgence of mine and I do try to watch it every week. The show is all about a loving married couple, Chip and Joanna Gaines, residents of Waco, Texas, who transform old houses, some derelict, into a fully functional and beautiful home for the people who commission them with whatever budget they have to work with. Apart from the worthwhile concept of building and decorating I know that this show will deliver with wholesome language and content which is quite a refreshing change from all the obnoxious junk that is on offer these days.
One can really relax and view knowing that there will be nothing offensive heard or seen from this husband and wife team who pray to God and have old fashioned principles of respect for their elders, esteeming others better than themselves, and also giving back to the community rather than receiving anything for themselves. They are the perfect example of people in the world showing the way of give, rather than the way of get. They work incredibly hard with using their talents to ensure others are made joyful in realising and bringing their dreams from imagination into fruition of living in a solid and safe, yet beautiful structure that they can live out the rest of their lives in, making treasured, beautiful memories with their families. Experts such as these make the difficult look easy. The many long hours of effort are edited down significantly so that viewers only see a half hour condensed version. There is a mountain of work involved behind the scenes that we do not get to see, but even so and nonetheless, the beehive of activity is there. A poignant reminder that God is always working behind the scenes for His children whether we realise it or not.
There is something about the process of restoration and beautification that is 100% absolutely fascinating and irresistible to me. Chip builds while Joanna designs. The former dysfunctional broken down old dwelling has been mostly demolished by Chip who then expertly crafts the structure under Joanna’s guidance of exactly where to change walls, floors, ceilings, windows, and doors. The transformation is so major that the surprised looks on the recipient’s faces are often accompanied with gasps of incredulity, while some cry tears of joy when their completed home is revealed to them for the first time, find me smiling from ear to ear. There is nothing like having a happy ending after seeing the reality of all the problems encountered along the way through the process of repair. It ticks all my boxes as I love the entire process of planning, designing, building, and decorating, whilst appreciating fine carpentry skills when crafting furniture from scraps of timber or repurposing wood that would ordinarily be thrown in the junk pile or taken to the dump for burning.
One amusing aspect of the Fixer Upper show is that the word shiplap comes up time and time again. Chip and Joanna are big proponents of this pine tongue and groove hardwood that was used traditionally to clad the outside of buildings so that they would remain watertight. Now this dynamic duo use it for inside walls instead of gyprock or drywall where they want to make a feature of it. We have a chuckle amongst ourselves as soon as we hear the word shiplap because we know we will hear it but how soon into the show we do not, so we listen for it. There is a light hearted feel to the show which brings a nice balance from the serious work that is carried out. Chip tends to joke around a lot but it is tasteful and clean while he hams it up in front of the camera with his wife. It is clear they are strongly and completely devoted to each other.
Chip takes on every challenge from Joanna no matter how impossible it may seem; he makes it happen with a superb “can do” attitude. It helps that his carpentry skills are second to none. Being a carpenter and working with one’s hands must be so satisfying to take a piece of wood and shape it into something practical, useful, even decorative, while watching it change. Did you know that Jesus Christ was also a carpenter by trade? (Mark 6:3) I like to think of Him skilfully transforming a block of wood into a serviceable table all the while deep in thought and prayer to His Father about us, those who deeply desire to be changed through transformation in order to be serviceable in God’s Kingdom, to God the Father and our older brother Jesus Christ, for the benefit of the rest of humanity.
From Filthy Decay Into Radiant Perfection
This is where we come in. Just like a building, we are being restored. There is much work to be done but we are told in Philippians 1:6 “...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. We will be completed and fit for eternal cohabitation with our heavenly Father and older Brother, as long as we allow God’s Spirit to lead us in that process of change instead of wanting our will over His (Romans 8:14).
There is another programme on TV which is actually called “Extreme Makeover” about people who are seeking a significant physical change on the surface. An American variation on this title which aired for several years on American television was “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”, a programme similar to “Fixer Upper”. Jon Reeves of Internet Movie Database (IMDB) describes the theme of the programme this way: “A family that has faced hardship has their dilapidated house completely rebuilt while they are sent away on a fully paid vacation for a week. While early episodes renovated houses, the usual approach is to tear down the house on the first day and build a brand new, usually much larger, one, fully furnished. The houses are customized to the families, with rooms reflecting the interests of, especially, the children, and special technology for any unusual medical conditions. Host Ty Pennington usually has a 'secret' project which is only revealed when the family sees it. The construction is accomplished with the help of a large army of blue-shirted volunteers and a wide array of sponsor-donated products and services.”
Like the buildings renovated on these TV shows, we are receiving a complete renovation. Our outside or presentable parts are to be clean and tidy in suitably fitting clothes designed to dignify and show respect to God and others (1 Corinthians 12:23). The interior or inner core, our hearts and minds, will be where the real change occurs. This is the headquarters or epicentre of where our thoughts drive our words and ultimately our actions. Our behaviours and attitudes are being tested and proved now in order for us to practice righteous living according to the 10 Commandment (Exodus 20:1-17).
To be changed in an extreme way is possible because God can do anything (Matthew 19:26). Our Father is the God of the impossible. He can make ANYTHING possible. We may find ourselves challenged while undergoing transformation but this is a good thing. Ephesians 4:22-24 refers to the process of this change as putting off the old man. The old man is the version of ourselves that existed before we had God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We lived according to our lusts driven from our carnal human nature (1 Peter 1:14). Now we live according to God’s will in order to deny self and put on the new man (Colossians 3:10).
Each week when getting ready to watch Fixer Upper I have an excited expectation of witnessing an incredible transformation. The abandoned dwelling that has been left to deteriorate, that nobody wanted, standing there in isolation, damaged and broken, unsightly, vulnerable to the elements, but with potential is about to be changed dramatically. Despite how damaged it looks I am repeatedly reminded that there is always potential. All it takes is for a rescue mission to occur once it has been chosen. Likewise, God rescued us from ourselves as we were going down the path of destruction. God chose us (Revelation 17:14) because He saw our potential and has begun work on the dwelling in which His Spirit lives (1 Peter 2:4).
If we think the finished buildings, each different with unique features, on Fixer Upper are breathtakingly gorgeous, then just wait until we see how God transforms us with His almighty power and genius. We will be transformed from filthy decay into radiant perfection (Matthew 5:48). If this is not the most exciting, fascinating, wonderful concept to try to wrap our minds around, then I simply do not know what is.