Picture this: boxes stacked in the corner, a wallpaper stripper hissing as wallpaper is scraped off the wall, the windows are steaming up and the floor is covered in a dustsheet and wet, discarded wallpaper. Some plaster comes away with the next sheet of wallpaper and you realise that the wall is in a worse state than you had hoped. It’s going to require more work than you can manage yourself, and you begin to wonder if the rest of the house will be the same.
This has been my life since we moved into a new house in August, and we are slowly working our way through each room, sorting through our things and decorating. There have been times when I looked around and felt despair at the mess and disarray. Yet for there to be progress, each area we are tackling must get messier before we can finally step back and say, ‘Wow, it’s done!’. It also takes hard work and some resources, including finances, to get things sorted.
It can feel like that with God at times. As we let Him into an area of our lives and He gets to work, it can look messy, and it can be hard work. We may have to make changes, move things around, and have a clear-out. We may even have to ask for help from other people who have the skills and experience that we don’t have. But just like decorating or DIY, we can eventually step back and say, ‘Wow, look what’s been done!’
God wants to make things new in your life. He wants to be invited into your ‘home’, into your life. We might have areas or rooms in our lives that we feel ashamed of, or we might be scared of the work that’s involved in turning things around. But God isn’t scared or daunted, He’s simply waiting for the invitation to get started. When God is partnering with us, we don’t need to feel scared either.
The Bible tells us that God is a God of infinite resources (The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it – Psalm 24:1) and that with Him nothing is impossible! (For nothing will be impossible with God – Luke 37:1.)
If there is an area of your life that you’ve been hesitant to invite God into, I would encourage you to bring it to Him. Don’t let the scary thoughts hold you back any longer. God doesn’t want you to deal with the mess all by yourself.
Amber
Amber Gilbert is our Operations and Events Manager. Originally from Manchester, Amber is the author of ‘Running from Myself,’ a fnovel inspired by her life experiences, published in August 2024. You can purchase a copy of her book on Amazon or order a signed copy from her website www.itsafaiththing.com.