Remodeling is Disruptive

I had a shock yesterday when I went, as I do most every day, to my favorite fast food restaurant. I got out of my car and walked to the door. As I got close, I realized that the entire restaurant had been gutted. It was being remodeled!! The drive through was open, so I drove through to get my precious iced tea. I know everyone who works there, so I asked one of my buddies how long the dining room was going to be out of commission.

The response was 1 month! The dining room would be closed for an entire month! Wow!

I eat at this place a couple times a week. This 'remodeling' project of theirs is going to be very disruptive to my life. And, given how busy the drive through was, I don't believe I'm the only one who will be knocked off balance by the change!

Remodeling is messy. There was dust and debris everywhere when I looked into the dining room. It bore no resemblance to the place I frequent. It looked like a disaster area!

That's what it looks like when a major change or transformation is taking place. It looks like destruction and mayhem have taken over.

Eventually there will be a beautiful new dining room there. It will be updated and wonderful, I'm sure! But it sure doesn't look pleasant now!

That's the way change often happens. The process itself can be frightening and unnerving. When we are in the middle of some sort of transition, the old is gone and the new hasn't fully emerged yet. It can cause anxiety to live without the old, while the new is being created.

I think God remodels our lives and our worlds when we are in need of radical change. A minor, cosmetic alteration just won't do. The old needs to be ripped out and discarded and something new gets 'installed.'

As I watch the process in my restaurant, I'm going to notice how awful it looks during the transition and watch it come back together as time passes. I'll use it as an example of just how frightening the remodeling can sometimes be when the bedrock of our life is remodeled. In the end... it can, and most likely, will be beautiful! Just give it time!