What’s Inside Those Walls?
There seems to be an endless variety of advice and “how to” information available on television, in newspapers and magazines, or at any home supply store on how to renovate, remodel or spruce up your home. The answer to all your needs may be to purchase certain equipment, hire certain experts, or to pack up and get out of the house you’re in and into the one of your dreams.
It can be quite entertaining to sit back on my comfy couch with a cup of coffee and watch a program in which an optimistic homeowner or potential buyer venture out into the unknown territory of home renovation. There is considerable tension in choosing the home, agreeing to purchase terms, and deciding on what the new look will be. Then comes the big day, and sledgehammers are swung, cabinets are pulled off the walls, flooring is pulled up, and the dumpster outside on the driveway quickly fills. Then there’s the “Oops” moment. In the midst of enthusiastically tearing out a wall, a problem is discovered. It can be anything – mold, dry rot, asbestos, termites, some badly done wiring or plumbing, or beams that don’t connect where they should. Much head-shaking and muttering about what this is going to do to the budget ensues, but eventually a solution is reached, both structurally and financially.
It occurred to me that the previously hidden problems that turn up during a house renovation aren’t that different from what might be found inside the walls that we build around our inner selves. Every one of us has a great need to protect the vulnerable person inside, the one who has fears and pains and uncertainties. We can’t let our weaknesses be out there in the bright light of day where anybody can see them! If those poorly done repairs or structural deficiencies are visible, what becomes of that nice smooth wall, with a fresh coat of paint in the latest fashionable color? The human instinct for self-preservation is very strong, and we are generally very careful how much we let anyone see.
The joyful news in the Gospel releases us from needing to maintain those walls. Yes, we sin and are far from perfect, but Jesus tells us that our heavenly Father loves us and accepts us nonetheless. We can turn to him in all our needs, and from him we receive forgiveness and reassurance. God gives us the strength to stand up and break through the walls that we think protect us but actually imprison us. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we hear these words of freedom: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God . . . For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works,” (Ephesians 2:8a, 10a). This is our solid foundation, and upon it our walls will be straight and true, with big, beautiful windows to let in the light.
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers