I thought it would be a great idea to give the home we are renting a little facelift in a few areas but didn’t know there would be so much prep work!
The plan was to redo the kitchen cabinets and then organize them, redo the upstairs bathroom that was screaming 1980’s with it’s pink and grey tiles and the tub that someone else had attempted to paint – leaving it half pink and white with paint marks all over the place.
I have been an impatient person in the past and would often rush the process so I could be done faster. This time I made a promise not to rush this one, knowing the outcome would not be what I wanted if I did.
I learned a valuable lesson when a friend and I painted her cabinets a few years back. We bought into the sales pitch that the man behind the paint counter gave us – that we could buy paint that eliminated most of the prep work. All we had to do was paint it straight on those cabinets and it would look great!
My friend is great at doing projects and questioned the man, knowing full well that sanding and priming was an important part of the process. However, he continued to convince us none of that was necessary. I was only there for a week and it sounded like a great idea, so we were convinced to skip the prep work and jump straight into painting the cabinets!
At first, it seemed to be working great and we were thrilled but it didn’t take long to realize we should not have tried to take the easy road. The project did not go so well and months after, my friend was still redoing cabinets that had paint peeling off of them.
As I began the process for my own kitchen the situation with my friend came to mind. I kept repeating to myself like a broken record; I will not skip the prep, I will not rush this process!! My patient endurance of this long-winded process will be so worth it when I am done!
I began with the dismantling the cupboard doors, cleaning them and sanding them. I cleaned them again, just to make sure and then I primed them with several coats on each side, waiting for the paint to dry on each side before I could flip them over and start again. It took days!
In the midst of all the prep work on the house, I felt Holy Spirit begin to speak to my heart about process and preparation. He showed me how this is parallel to life and the seasons we experience.
In the past I often tried to avoid the personal “prep” work, hoping to just experience the final result. I didn’t always want to go through the process He was asking of me. I think I didn’t realize that the process is actually what makes the outcome. He wanted to work on the inside, so the outside would be its best.
I learned that being with Him in my quiet place and in times of worship is where He works best on my heart. It’s this “prep work” that allows me the opportunity to display His glory and beauty as a finished work.
Prep work is rarely fun or easy but it is essential to what Holy Spirit wants to do in and through us. And sometimes, you can’t do it alone. I recently sat with a couple of ladies in a healing session to work through some hurts from past seasons in my life. I knew these things were holding me back and I want to embrace my future!
It wasn’t an easy session for me and it took lots of patience to allow Holy Spirit to highlight some areas where I had allowed the fear of man and a false sense of responsibility weigh me down and hold me back. As some of the layers of my heart were peeling back – I started to see the beautiful masterpiece that had been created underneath the layers. It was not about what I could do to earn approval or love. It was simply about me responding to who God already is! It was a liberating revelation for me!
I can stand in the midst of any season and declare His goodness without hesitation.
I had functioned under a false belief system that says I had to do something to earn God’s goodness in my life or prove I’m worthy of His faithfulness. He is already the God of hope – It is not my responsibility to “keep hope” or make it happen – it is a choice to respond to the hope that He already has given, that He already is! As I began to thank Him for who He is, that beautiful living hope already began to rise up within me.
Learning to let Holy Spirit work in you, is actually part of the prep work for what God has in store for you. Can I encourage you not to rush past it or skip over what is a necessary step – it will help ensure that you can fully walk in your purpose without hesitation or fear of the future.
What are some areas of your life that God is wanting to work in –
- Is it a mindset or a false belief that has kept you from experiencing freedom?
- Is it an attitude towards someone or a situation where forgiveness is required?
- What’s keeping you from saying yes to the very thing you were born for?
Even the littlest of things, any missed step in the process can impact the final work. Like my kitchen and bathroom projects, the end result of my heart was directly connected to the prep work I was willing to go through. It was the prep work that allowed for the finished work to be a masterpiece.
Take time to ask Holy Spirit what prep work needs to be done in your life. Be patient and wait for the final outcome – it is so worth it! Be confident that He who began a good work in you will complete it!
SCRIPTURES TO STUDY
- Philippians 1:6
- Jeremiah 29:11
- Romans 5:5
- Romans, 15:13
