by Christine Sine
We just completed a bathroom remodel. The room has probably not been touched for 70 years or more and was desperately in need of a redo. It may be the smallest room in the house but boy has it challenged us to lose our use of it for the last 2 weeks. The whole process was exhausting yet filled with expectation and anticipation. There was much noise, hammering and unexpected discoveries. Along the way I find myself reflecting a lot on the lifelong repurposing and refurbishing God does in all our lives.
Think Refurbish not Demolition.
We love watching house remodel shows on T.V. but always get frustrated when demo day means everything is destroyed. We may have stripped it to the bare bones, but I made sure everything that was still functional in our bathroom was kept whole either for us to repurpose or to go to someone else who could repurpose it.
Question: How often I wonder do we want to come in with a sledge hammer to someone’s life, even to our own life, and totally demolish it it when God is saying no, no no, there is perfectly good stuff here. All it needs is some repositioning and refurbishing?
Preserving
Several years ago we were gifted a new toilet by some young men who stayed with us for several months. They came to our door one day and asked if they could sleep in our backyard. At the time our basement apartment was empty (which it is now if you know anyone who may be interested in living in community). When the apartment was rented they move up into our prayer room and slept on the floor… for almost a year. They were so grateful for a place to stay that they did lots of jobs around the house including re-polishing our dining room table, and replacing the toilet. For a few days this still perfectly good toilet sat in an otherwise totally demolished room waiting to be surrounded by beautiful newness. It’s good to know we were able to preserve it.
When we embarked on a kitchen remodel seven years ago we were even more concerned about preserving parts of the room that evoked good memories. We did not touch the backsplash behind the counters. It is made from tiles we purchased in Jerusalem on our honeymoon 32 years ago. They are made by Armenian Christians who have used the same patterns for hundreds of years. One of the challenges the remodellers faced was ripping out the old counter without breaking any of these tiles. Then they had to finding matching tiles for the new countertop. Not easy 24 years later. Tiles are fragile. It took more work to preserve them, but now they stand out like new.
Question: Some things from the past need to be held on to. What aspects of your life and history are need to be preserved? What are the fragile memory objects from your past that are worth saving? How would God like to enhance and highlight these so that they stand out more beautifully in your life?
Avoid Future Disasters.
One of the reasons for our remodel is that Tom and I want to be able to stay in this house for many years to come. Yet we know that 80% of falls occur in the bathroom and in order to “age in place” we needed to make changes to keep us safe. In the process there were other unexpected surprises that could have caused catastrophe in the future. First when the walls were pulled out, two electric wires hanging free but alive were exposed. A fire waiting to happen. Then when they pulled out the toilet temporarily and exposed the pipes to it, we discovered the sewer pipe was corroded. It could have caused a disastrous leak into the basement.
How has God prepared you so that you are less likely to face disaster in the future? What unexpected surprises has God exposed in your life that can be repaired now but could have had disastrous consequences if left hidden into the future ?
Repurposing
We did rip out the old bath. It is at least 75 years old and weighs about 250lb. The construction workers put it by their truck ready to go to the dump but I didn’t let them. It now sits in our side garden with wildflowers growing in it.
Question: Are there aspects of your life that needed to be saved from the garbage and repurposed? Perhaps you have found healing for past traumatic experiences. You have ripped them out and are ready to throw them away, but is it time to think about repurposing them instead?
Recreating
Just before our kitchen remodel 7 years ago, we were on vacation on Mayne Island Canada. I found a bone on the beach, probably from a dolphin, bleached by the water and sun for many years before it was washed up for me to find. It still sits in my sacred space as a reminder that God is in the business not just of remodelling but of recreating all things.
Today, as we finished the bathroom remodel, I pulled it out again. After all we took our bathroom back to dry bones and it seemed like an appropriate reminder of the whole process. I then read through the words of Ezekiel 37:5, 6 when the prophet sits in a valley of dry bones and God asks him: Son of man, do you think these bones can live? then says:
“Dry bones, I will breathe breath into you, and you will come alive. I will attach muscles and tendons to you, cause flesh to grow over them, and cover you with skin. I will breathe breath into you, and you will come alive. After this happens, you will know that I am the Eternal.”
Question: We have remodelled and repurposed our bathroom and transformed it into something beautiful, and as I sit with a dry bone in my hand I wonder, in the renewal of all things, what beautiful thing will God be able to recreate from it? When God once more breathes life into it what will the renewed, restored creature look like?
Sit quietly for a few minutes and think about your own life. Do you feel you are sitting in a valley of dry bones or somewhere like our old dilapidated bathroom longing to see it renewed and restored? I dreamed about this remodel for years before it was accomplished and now as I look at the beautiful transformation I am amazed and delighted at what I feel God is able to do with dry bones.
God Can Renew All Things
What is your vision for the transformation God would like to accomplish in your life.
- What do you think God wants to refurbish in you?
- What does God want to preserve in you?
- What does God want to repurpose in you?
- What are some of the unexpected surprises God exposed in your life but was able to “fix” now that could have had disastrous consequences?
- What does God want to give new life to and recreate in you?