Have you ever started a project that caused you to question the end result? Well, I have!! I am in the process of building an in-ground pool. I hired a reputable local pool company. I did my research, prayed about it, & finally chose this company because I trusted their reputation. The very first day the project started I began to second guess myself…what I had signed up for? I came home from work to see mountains of dirt throughout my backyard. It was only 8 hours earlier my yard was filled with beauty & lots of grass. How am I supposed to deal with this for 45 days?!
Have you ever started a project that caused you to question the end result? Well, I have!! I am in the process of building an in-ground pool. I hired a reputable local pool company. I did my research, prayed about it, & finally chose this company because I trusted their reputation. The very first day the project started I began to second guess myself…what I had signed up for? I came home from work to see mountains of dirt throughout my backyard. It was only 8 hours earlier my yard was filled with beauty & lots of grass. How am I supposed to deal with this for 45 days?!
All I see is dirt, large equipment, & constant noise from all the work. I have strangers in my backyard at 7 am until 6:30 pm. All of this chaos started on day 1 and hasn’t stopped yet. I am constantly cleaning the floors due to my dogs tracking in dirt everywhere!! The pool building process isn’t what I imagined. I thought it would look a lot less messy. Not really sure why I thought that, but I did! I’m on day 17 now. The mountains of dirt have been removed & leveled out. I see the concrete shell, the skimmers, the jets, seats, & the area where the concrete decking will be poured. It sounds like it’s starting to come together, but It’s still not a pretty picture like you might be imagining.
All I see is dirt, large equipment, & constant noise from all the work. I have strangers in my backyard at 7 am until 6:30 pm. All of this chaos started on day 1 and hasn’t stopped yet. I am constantly cleaning the floors due to my dogs tracking in dirt everywhere!! The pool building process isn’t what I imagined. I thought it would look a lot less messy. Not really sure why I thought that, but I did! I’m on day 17 now. The mountains of dirt have been removed & leveled out. I see the concrete shell, the skimmers, the jets, seats, & the area where the concrete decking will be poured. It sounds like it’s starting to come together, but It’s still not a pretty picture like you might be imagining.
As you can see it’s an ugly, empty concrete shell with lots of dirt all around it. It doesn’t quite look like a beautiful inground pool at this point. But, I can see it has potential of looking like the pool I envisioned when I took on this project.
As you can see it’s an ugly, empty concrete shell with lots of dirt all around it. It doesn’t quite look like a beautiful inground pool at this point. But, I can see it has potential of looking like the pool I envisioned when I took on this project.
Have you ever looked in the mirror or felt like your life was an ugly mess? I sure have plenty of times. I remember when I first became a follower of Christ. I was excited. I had a new fire inside me. I was a new creation in Jesus Christ. The old was gone and the new had come…Right? Well, yes & no. I was a new creation in Jesus Christ, but the new had not taken root in me yet. I needed to replace the old self with the new by reading the word of God. As I started to renew my mind the Lord began a sanctifying work inside me. It wasn’t fun, exciting, or pretty. Honestly, it was kinda painful at times and even messy. God was pruning the old dead parts of me, so that new life could spring forth. I can remember thinking I am never going to change. My life is a mess. I am a mess. I can’t live this Christian life like I’m supposed to. I am never going to get it right or stop sinning. Which is partly true…I cant stop sinning completely, I won’t get it right every time because I am not Jesus Christ. Only Jesus is perfect and without sin and only He got it right so we don’t have to. God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us once and for all. Therefore, our sins have all been forgiven for those of us who are believers in Christ.
Have you ever looked in the mirror or felt like your life was an ugly mess? I sure have plenty of times. I remember when I first became a follower of Christ. I was excited. I had a new fire inside me. I was a new creation in Jesus Christ. The old was gone and the new had come…Right? Well, yes & no. I was a new creation in Jesus Christ, but the new had not taken root in me yet. I needed to replace the old self with the new by reading the word of God. As I started to renew my mind the Lord began a sanctifying work inside me. It wasn’t fun, exciting, or pretty. Honestly, it was kinda painful at times and even messy. God was pruning the old dead parts of me, so that new life could spring forth. I can remember thinking I am never going to change. My life is a mess. I am a mess. I can’t live this Christian life like I’m supposed to. I am never going to get it right or stop sinning. Which is partly true…I cant stop sinning completely, I won’t get it right every time because I am not Jesus Christ. Only Jesus is perfect and without sin and only He got it right so we don’t have to. God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us once and for all. Therefore, our sins have all been forgiven for those of us who are believers in Christ.
A believer’s life can look similar to my pool project. Day 1, we placed our faith in Jesus Christ & shortly after wondered what in the world we got ourselves into. Our lives can look messy, ugly, empty, and dirty at times. It can be overwhelming, especially if you think you are supposed to get it right, never sin again, or complete the work yourself.
A believer’s life can look similar to my pool project. Day 1, we placed our faith in Jesus Christ & shortly after wondered what in the world we got ourselves into. Our lives can look messy, ugly, empty, and dirty at times. It can be overwhelming, especially if you think you are supposed to get it right, never sin again, or complete the work yourself.
Remember the God who saved you is also the One who is working in you to sanctify you and change you day by day. You can’t see the end result of your life today, but you can live in freedom knowing that the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light also began a good work in you and He will also perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus. God knows the outcome of our life. He knows the story He is writing and it’s for His glory & our good. All the good, ugly, exciting, messy, pretty, difficult, painful, & scary unknown parts are being fitted together to form one beautiful masterpiece. But, we don’t get to see it until the day of Christ Jesus. Did you catch that? We won’t know what our life looks like until the end. So that means we aren’t supposed to be a finished project today or tomorrow even. We won’t be perfect or a finished work of art until the day of Christ! I don’t know about you, but that takes a lot of pressure of me. I can take a deep breath in & let it out knowing that my life today may look messy because God isn’t finished with me yet. And, He isn’t finished with you either!! Can I get an Amen?!
Remember the God who saved you is also the One who is working in you to sanctify you and change you day by day. You can’t see the end result of your life today, but you can live in freedom knowing that the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light also began a good work in you and He will also perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus. God knows the outcome of our life. He knows the story He is writing and it’s for His glory & our good. All the good, ugly, exciting, messy, pretty, difficult, painful, & scary unknown parts are being fitted together to form one beautiful masterpiece. But, we don’t get to see it until the day of Christ Jesus. Did you catch that? We won’t know what our life looks like until the end. So that means we aren’t supposed to be a finished project today or tomorrow even. We won’t be perfect or a finished work of art until the day of Christ! I don’t know about you, but that takes a lot of pressure of me. I can take a deep breath in & let it out knowing that my life today may look messy because God isn’t finished with me yet. And, He isn’t finished with you either!! Can I get an Amen?!
So back to my pool project…I know it’s not finished yet. It’s in the middle stage which looks kinda ugly right now. I would be worried about the outcome if it was up to me to finish the pool. But, it is not up to me. It’s the pool company’s responsibility to complete the job they started. And, I am confident they will finish the work they started because I trust their reputation.
So back to my pool project…I know it’s not finished yet. It’s in the middle stage which looks kinda ugly right now. I would be worried about the outcome if it was up to me to finish the pool. But, it is not up to me. It’s the pool company’s responsibility to complete the job they started. And, I am confident they will finish the work they started because I trust their reputation.
I want to challenge you (and myself) to let go of our fears and doubts about the end result of our life. Let us be a people who trust our God who started a good work in us and will also perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus.
I want to challenge you (and myself) to let go of our fears and doubts about the end result of our life. Let us be a people who trust our God who started a good work in us and will also perfect us until the day of Christ Jesus.
Chew On This 