Tearing Things Up And Crushing It: Part 4- A Glimpse of Something Greater

I remember the first time I got a real, concrete (no pun intended) understanding of why we’re doing this construction. It was a couple of weeks ago and I went upstairs to clean some lead paint dust on the third floor. The last I had seen the space before that, most of the wall studs were still up, and the apartment basically looked like a more bare, messier version of what we had originally moved into in early June.

But my glimpse two weeks ago painted an entirely different picture. The third floor was no longer the narrow space that defines many Boston triple-deckers. It was a new creation. Granted, the floors were still covered in sawdust, the apartment was sliced in two by plastic sealing, and the walls were exposed, but beyond all that, it was a completely different floor. The kitchen, living room, and tiny bedroom in the back had all been fused into one giant great room. It was an open, gorgeous space.

True, it’s just a shell of the finished product. But even that shell got me giddy for how the entire house is going to look when it’s all done. Way better than it looked when it started, that’s for sure.

Before I caught a glimpse of what’s to come, the construction process to me was the sum of its parts: sealed-off rooms, plastic, duct tape, sweat, frustration. I think we have all asked ourselves several times a day throughout this renovation process: “why are we doing this?” But once I saw the layout they were shooting toward, I had my answer. Not every floor will follow the exact same blueprint, but getting a glimpse of the new design gave me a visual reminder of the more beautiful home that we are working toward. And it brought sense to the madness that is the renovation process.

So it got me thinking about how this relates to my faith and life as a Christian. And here’s spiritual lesson #3:

3) Show People the Purpose

The construction process has no intrinsic value. I don’t think most people rip out walls, rework the electricity, replace leaky pipes, and sand floors simply because they think the act of doing it is fun all on its own. (And if you do, you’re crazy. Just kidding; you can come over and help any time!). People put in the hard work in order to get something better as a result. Construction is a means to a very beautiful end. But before seeing even a shred of this end result, the construction at times seemed senseless.

I think much is the same when it comes to calling ourselves Christians. It isn’t something I do for the sake of itself. Following Jesus isn’t about the title, or the religion, or being a member of a cool social group. Following Jesus is about falling in love with the one who has saved me, learning to look at myself in the way that He sees me and has created me, and using all of those things to bring His kingdom to Earth. But people will not know that unless, as Christians, we give them a taste of who God is.

So I must ask myself, how can my lifestyle give people a glimpse of what’s to come? How can I show people that Christianity isn’t simply a sum of doing certain things while abstaining from others? To an outsider, many aspects of a Christian's life may seem like things to be done simply for the sake of themselves. I pray that somehow God can peek through my actions to reflect how much bigger and more beautiful He is than a blend of busyness, doing, and earning. Instead of people viewing my life as a Christian as a self-serving pattern, I pray that they can see elements like justice, forgiveness, selflessness, hope, sacrifice, and mercy. And I’m not very good at these things on my own, so it’s going to need to be God who works through me.

As far as this house goes, I’m challenged to look at how we can show people that everything we do there isn’t self-serving and simply for the sake of itself. I want this home to be more than a sum of the laughter, TV shows, meals, prayer, and conversations that occur there. Don’t get me wrong: we do plenty of eating, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company, and I absolutely love it. But I want all of these things to give people a glimpse of what’s to come: God’s kingdom. I want this home to reflect what it means to bear one another’s burdens, to push each other, to correct each other, and to ultimate look at each other’s needs as greater than our own individual needs.

Jesus came not to do things simply for his own satisfaction, but to show people His Father.

“… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” John 14: 9-10

I hope that my housemates and I can give others a look at the greater work that is being done in our lives.