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I meander through old neighborhoods daily, trucking through streets with old homes on every corner. Some are large and stately, some small and quaint. Each home tells a story like the pews of an old church. Impressively, they've held their ground well before I was born.
My favorite homes reflect soaring beauty, arches, and unique, quaint storage units…maybe even a laundry shoot. Homes of the past were built with care, purpose, and individuality.
I love old homes. They leave me curious about the people and stories who lived and loved there. Some have been tended to, nurtured, and kept up over the years (or maybe even wholly gutted). Others are in bad shape, but the home's bones are beautiful. I'm sad as I walk past those in poor shape: "What would the original owners think?” I imagine it’s potential if only someone would invest in the property.
I’ve also imagined myself before I deemed myself worthy of investing in. God always saw my potential, and he created me for that potential. But without eyes to see and a bit of time, nurture, and investment, I would never become who God created me to be.
“And all people need a place that gives wings to their dreams, nurturing possibilities of who they might become. Every day in each inch of space, each rhythm of time, each practice of love, we have the chance to join God in coming home, in living so that we make a home of this broken and beautiful world all over again.” Sally Clarkson
I remember the sad, depressed, and defeated young mom who believed change wasn’t possible—the young woman who thought I was stuck, bound by my past. I had dreams (God placed them in my heart) but lost faith that they were possible. I had the foundation and beautiful structure. God created my form before existence. I didn’t realize an abundant life and a flourishing home (within myself) were already present. He says, “According to the commission of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and another man is building upon it. Let each man take care how he builds upon it. For no other foundation can anyone lay then that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3: 10-11
Just as a home isn’t gutted in a day, two weeks, or a month, growing into our most genuine God-given potential isn't either. It takes daily showing up at the workplace. It took me faithful daily small steps with an unwillingness to quit. Sometimes, I could only muster a minuscule step, but that tiny step was showing up.
A fresh, alive, and beautiful home is never completely finished. It needs endless love and care. I’m still growing, and I believe I always will be. We don’t get to a finish line on this side of heaven. God will always use our faithful steps to grow us into His most beautiful image of who he created us to be.
Just as we might brighten a room with a fresh coat of paint, we might add small steps (investments in ourselves) each day to grow in our potential. To do this, we must become investigators and be curious.
One of my favorite quotes is by Eleanor Roosevelt, “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” What has God placed in your heart?
Do you need to:
Take voice or dance lessons (I’ve done both)
Stay at home with the children (or vice versa)
Date your spouse
Pray with your spouse
Run a marathon (or a 10K)
Nurture your family
Lace up your tennis shoes every day (one mile a day, no matter what)
Get a personal trainer
Take a break
Send the email
Go back to school
Speak in front of a crowd
Choose a healthier lifestyle
Get fit
As the master builder plans the remodel and takes action, we must investigate how God asks us to grow and then take a step. It might be a scary step, and that’s okay because on the other side of that step is a full, more joyful life. It’s a remodeled home coming together to shine in its glorious potential.
As I walk these old streets, imagining the potential of these homes, I consider my next steps. What about you?
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." - Psalm 37:23
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