A House In Need

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I love all things old…traditions, pictures, china, books, names, people, but ESPECIALLY houses. The hunt of all hunts for my husband and I was for “the” house. We literally searched for years. Something old to fix up that was the right price, the right size, the right location. We looked at countless homes. In desperation we spent one last day going to look at a short list of highly unlikely choices but, we wanted to scratch them off the list of potentials. It was a last ditch effort. I will never forget how the tour of the last home on our list went. After driving by this house multiple times I personally had no interest in taking a look inside. My husband was the one who really thought we should at least make a lap through it. This house had been on the market for almost a year. In our area that is a pretty long time. When I scheduled the showing the seller’s realtor asked that I at least go inside because, “the last people pulled up and drove away without stepping a foot inside.” S0 – walk through it we did. All my kids could talk about was how bad it smelled and how they didn’t want to live there. Every faucet slowly dripped, floors were wet and rotten, dead bugs were on full display. There was no staging going on for this showing. Approaching the last part of the tour my husband abruptly said, “I’ve seen enough.”

In full agreement I quickly escorted the kids out the door into the car. As we buckled up Todd said, ” I think we need to make an offer.” WHAT!!?? Are you kidding? What just happened? I just shut down and stopped looking when he said he’d seen enough! I didn’t even know what half the house looked like! I trust this man with all my soul though. And make an offer we did. Sleep eluded me as I laid in bed wondering what this house even looked like much less what can of worms we just opened. Once we negotiated and were under contract we got to go back and actually look at the house. To see what we were buying. That is when the ideas and visions started coming to me. My husband had them all along. He knew the house had great bones, the space we wanted and his keen business sense knew the price was right for the renovations needed. I just wish he would have let me in on all that while we were still inside!

We closed on our project home in August and started a tight, well laid out remodel schedule that wrapped up right before Thanksgiving. This house was unloved, unkept, outdated, dirty, stinky and a huge undertaking. In short – it needed us. It needed us to come and love it, rescue it and restore it to it’s original glory. We finally found what we were looking for. A home we could make our own. One that wasn’t move in ready, perfect, with no room for us to write our personalities all over. We could build on the beautiful foundation that was already there, in the cracks and crevices, and make it ours.

We have since learned the rich history of our home. How it was amazingly well built for it’s day. A prominent local concrete contractor and his family built the house. They overbuilt it with the best materials. The original owner blessed me by coming over for coffee. She was absolutely delightful as she walked through the house and told me story after story. How they drove on dirt roads to get to this house when it was new. About the time her horse had a foal out back. How both sets of parents lived on either side of her, helping her raise up her babies. She showed me where she laid down many a prayer. I cherish the pictures she drew in my mind that day. If you come to visit I will share with you too.

This house is a daily reminder of transformation. Of why Jesus came. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Mark 2:17 God’s looking for the same house. He isn’t looking for perfect, move in ready. He came for a project. Someone he can jump into and write His name all over. If you are waiting to give yourself, or even little corners of your heart to Him until “the right time,” after you clean up your act, once you do____ then it is time to stop holding out. You already have a strong foundation and great bones…because he made YOU (Psalm 139:13-15). No matter what your life looks like today, at this moment, he wants in on it NOW. You may have already given your life to the Lord, but there are some parts you are still holding on to. Rooms you are working on in your own strength. We all have them. I have more than one. I get how ugly and overwhelming life can be sometimes. It seems so daunting to tackle change. It is easier to just “drive by”. Make quick fixes. Or sometimes we just overlook our sin altogether, pretend it isn’t there. We never get to live in real glory, the way God intended, unless we give in and accept His grace. That goodness comes from a life redeemed by Christ. I need a lot of work and I am fearful sometimes of the transformation needed. I just go one project at a time. Spend time with God today and ask Him to show you where your life needs a remodel and invite Him in (Pslam 139:23). Remember God wants to be knee deep in your dirt, swimming in your swamp! You can visit our completed home tour HERE.

 

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