A few months ago, we relocated to a completely different part of the state. Sold our house, packed up everything that wasn’t nailed down, and dumped our lives into another home in another city.
Looks easy on paper. But if you have ever experienced transferring your complete existence, you know “easy” is a lie generated in the deepest part of Hell.
It takes hard work finding a house. And even after you have made your purchase and survived the move, you still have to transform it into your home. Especially if you are married to a creative, “I-can-see-it-looking-this-way” spouse. One who sees nothing wrong with suggesting that walls be moved, doors cut in where doors never dreamed of existing, and floors coverings becoming what she already imagines in her mind.
So the long-suffering spouse, who long ago adopted the mind-set of “If she can conceive it, I will achieve it,” swallowed the baseball sized lump of dread in his throat. Heroically ignoring dreaded visions of demo, dust, and dollar signs, he started the process.
Our sweet little house became an emergency hospital, where the doctors wore flannel shirts and carpenters’ tool belts, and performed miracles. All floors, walls, and cabinets survived the months long surgical procedure that would rival surviving a heart transplant, replacing a kidney, and an appendectomy – done all at once. Poor thing probably went into permanent shock with what it underwent.
But then the new improvements began. Every day brought welcome changes to an interior that had seen better days. Now our house no longer resembles a lovable but slightly fragile senior who needed major surgery. What was old, shabby and illogical has been replaced with new, shiny and functional. And it has become our wonderful new home. But that didn’t happen easily or overnight. It didn’t transform without hammers, tenacity, and a lot of patience.
A lot.
Want to complete your own update on an old career? Feel like you could use a remodel on your marriage? Need to heal relationships within your family? Same procedures apply, folks.
Look closely at what isn’t working well anymore. Come to a conclusion on how you want the new to look. Start the hard work, and expect your own messy” demo, dust and dollar signs.” Ridding yourself of useless old habits, outmoded methods, or unforgiveness can be difficult. But keep looking past all that, to the remodeled and improved version you are wanting. Be willing to do what it takes to create the marriage, healthy family, or successful career that you see in your heart and mind.
See the finished product – before you actually do see the finished product. Because keeping a goal in front of you makes the hard days of labor worth it.
Hmmm…I wonder if that is how the Creator puts up with patiently working on us, day after day?
We are Dr. Andy & Renie Bowman, authors of the nationally syndicated "CoffeeTime Column" and hosts of popular podcast "CoffeeTime with Andy & Renie Bowman". 