Made to Shine.

In the last several days I have been able to help a couple of different friends with their house projects. Two of them have just bought fixer-uppers and are so brave in tackling them with a deadline in mind.
These homes needed serious work I tell you.
One of them had no electricity or plumbing and people had broken in and pretty much stolen anything they could from it.
Crazy right.


So as I was helping one friend strip paint in her new hallway, we discovered that under all those layers of old paint which looked pretty awful, there was beautiful dark wood.
So we began heating the paint up and removing it piece by piece from the wood.
And I realised, that's how the imperfections are in each of us.

We all have these layers of imperfections & sin that need removing from our life.
It makes each of us look awful.
But as we allow God to help us remove them and piece by piece get them out of our lives for good.
We begin to see the way we were supposed to be.
We begin to shine from the inside out, as the inside is finally visible.

We begin to shine the way God made us.
We allow Him to shine through us, people around us begin to see Him.
To see beauty.
But it is through His incredible grace that He is helping us become the person we were originally made to be.
Just like that wood, we were made to beautifully reflect the Lord.
But all that paint that gets added on top, sinful patterns, pride, our past.....
It prevents people around us and even ourselves from seeing that beautiful person that was created.

Isn't it funny how you can put those imperfections under heat and they get removed.
Just like in life when trials come our way and we are refined.
The imperfections are painfully removed sometimes.
But they are really worth it when they free us to shine for Him.


Some ponderings for me to remember the next time a painful trial comes my way.
Want to ponder with me?

Much Love,
L