It was almost time. In five minutes, Charlotte would tune into her favorite home remodeling show. No matter how busy her schedule, Charlotte never missed watching this program. Its draw was as intense as her desire to engage with her neighbor’s puppy or sip her first cup of morning coffee. Enticing? Yes. Could she resist? No.
The draw to this program wasn’t like the fleeting delight of the unconditional love of the puppy or comfort from that morning coffee. The draw to this home remodeling show touched something deeper in Charlotte. She watched the transformation of damaged, neglected, broken houses into homes of peace and welcome for their new homeowners. What drew Charlotte was what looked hopeless—wasn’t.
The show began with a camera crew entering the front door of a house that endured decades of hard living. In lock-step with the camera crew was the expert remodeler who directed them to film the living area they were stepping into—a living area that didn’t roll out a red carpet to honor guests.
The living area was like a maze used to train laboratory rats. There were walls that fenced in seating; walls that encircled dining areas; and walls that encased an area the expert remodeler couldn’t identify. These walls had a design alliance with doll-house sized windows that kept sunlight outside so darkness ruled.
The hardwood floors that grounded this maze were scarred by carelessly dragged furniture and water stains from house plant overflows and party drink spills that never danced with a paper towel.
The scarred floors stopped at the threshold to a kitchen with linoleum that looked like a paisley shirt. The kitchen’s appliances, backsplash and countertops honored the design decade of harvest gold and avocado green. No one was surprised that the paisley linoleum was selected to compliment this kitchen’s outfit.
The tour backed out of the kitchen to navigate the maze that led to a hallway that looked like a back ally. Its stained wall-to-wall carpeting hid the secret of its original color and served as a good introduction to three bedrooms decorated with wall paper and carpeting as bright as jellybeans.
The tour’s last stop was the bathroom with ceramic floor tiles in pink with color-coordinated toilet, tub and sink wearing beards of black mold nourished by water leaks.
This house needed work. Did the expert remodeler say, “It’s hopeless!” No. There wasn’t a house that was too hopeless for the expert remodeler and Charlotte never doubted this house would be transformed like those in past episodes.
Night and day, she thought. That was the difference between what a house was and what it would become because of the vision and work of the expert remodeler.
It was time. It was time for the program’s high point—the revelation of the remodeled house. The camera crew, expert remodeler and the homeowners were about to enter the house. These were the homeowners who surrendered the house keys to the expert remodeler and whose memories were locked on the image of a house that endured years of hard living. This is what they saw…
The scarred floors were restored to reveal the delicate pattern of maple hardwood and burnished to a patina that reflected sunlight streaming through windows no longer suitable for a doll-house. The living space was unlocked from the maze of walls and darkness and embraced the sunlight and guests.
The light flowing from the windows created a path to the kitchen that stunned all who viewed it with its harmony of design, color and functionality.
The tour continued to the hallway once wearing dirty wall-to-wall carpeting. But the carpeting was removed and exposed more of the maple hardwood flooring. The restored flooring was the perfect segue to three bedrooms decorated in colors that soothed the senses and a bathroom as welcoming as a spa.
The program concluded with the capture of the homeowners’ stunned delight at the transformation of this broken house to their welcoming home. All of this was possible because of the work and vision of the expert remodeler.
Charlotte thought, Night and day. The difference is like night and day…
The Holy Spirit is the Expert Remodeler in God’s Children
Aren’t we like Charlotte? Aren’t we touched at a deep level when we see something damaged, broken or neglected like that house—transformed into a new creation like that remodeled home? Don’t we understand that the transformation had nothing to do with the effort of the homeowner but with the expert remodeler who had the vision and did the work?
Aren’t we drawn in like Charlotte because what looked hopeless—wasn’t?
Weren’t we damaged, broken and neglected like this house when we were a child of the world? Didn’t we need to surrender our life, like the homeowners’ surrendered their house keys before we became a Spirit indwelled home and a child of God? Didn’t we require the Holy Spirit—our remodeling expert—with his vision and work to transform us to a new creation? Could we have done this transformation ourselves?
A child of God can answer those questions. It’s the answers that souls who don’t know what it’s like to be in Christ—be born in the Spirit—need to hear.
Each of us has a flesh to spirit rebirth story to tell. Night and day. The difference is like night and day. And that is our new life in Christ as a child of God.
Share your story.
Scripture and The Born Again Transformation
“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit.” John 3:5-6
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23
“You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24
The Born Again Transformation
How would you describe your flesh to spirit transformation?
