A Fresh Coat of Paint

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Bruce and I are having the back side of our home repainted after 10 years. This house was built as a solar home, so it faces the exact direction that receives the most sun. As you can imagine the relentless heat of the sun has baked the paint on that side of the house. The painters have done a great job of power-washing to clean the surface, scraping the old paint off each board that was loosened and prime those areas which are compromised. Once that work is complete, a beautiful thick and final coat will be brushed on. I can’t wait to see the fresh coat because right now I see a home in different stages of repair.

As I was looking at it this morning, I couldn’t help but to think about the work that God has done in my heart over the course of my life. As a child I was given a beautiful coat of paint of protection and attention to spiritual details from my parents. As I grew up there were areas in my life that I ignored such as my spirituality. Years passed and the sun beat down in my circumstances compromising my faith. There were adversities that left lasting impressions in my heart that God had to work on. Through these experiences He has scraped away the outer shell of surface living. He has exposed things in my heart only to apply the fresh primer of forgiveness. He has removed rotten attitudes that I secretly held in my heart. I have a long way to go to receive that final coat of paint…righteousness, but God shows up every day and does the work needed to make my life beautiful. As I look upon the back side of my home, I don’t see a completed job. However, I do see progress being made just like in my heart.

God isn’t looking for perfect people, but people who open their hearts for Him to restore the old. He is looking for willing and available people who will embrace the new work He is doing in their lives. No home is ever too rotten to repair, and no heart is ever to sinful to forgive. Whatever disrepair is evident in our lives, God is the original Builder and fully understands the work that will bring us back to true beauty.