Decorate or Renovate
Hi, my name is Kaylee and I am a HGTV watch-aholic.
For many years, I have enjoyed watching all the home reno shows like Fixer Upper, Property Brothers, Love it or List it, etc. (sidenote: yes, I am super stoked about the new Magnolia Network!)
It is amazing to watch a complete renovation from beginning to end within a short 45 minute episode. I can imagine all of the work that went into these projects but these abbreviated slideshows of progress will never truly do it justice. There is simply no way to fully appreciate the transformation since we didn’t put in the work. The most work I have done during this revelation was maybe walking to the kitchen during a commercial to grab a snack. Ya feel me?
However, I am also a contractor’s daughter.
For my whole life, I have watched my father work endless hours for his clients. He is a one man army and his talent certainly matches his work ethic. I have made him watch a few episodes of these house transformation shows over the years and he always tells me that these job timelines can only be done when a massive crew of workers come behind the scenes and crank out a job in a couple weeks. It isn’t necessarily realistic for a small crew of DYIers. Of course, they don’t really show how much work goes into the before and after, because let’s be honest… people like the end product a whole lot more than the work it takes to get there. It takes patience and discipline- two things that are always easier said than done.
It makes me think about growth. It makes me think about transformation. Sometimes I look at myself and I desire the finished product so badly. I seek the “after” and I don’t want to do the work to get there. The only thing I can muster is the trip to the fridge during the commercial. It would be easier for the army of crew members to come knock down the walls of my heart, my life, my needs and just make it perfect. I want it to be done in 45 minutes. Doing the work and trusting the process just doesn’t seem appealing to me most days.
It seems so simple… just skip the grunt work and let’s get to the decorating.
Do you appreciate the part of the episode where the renovator reveals the finished product to the home owner? It is emotional and exciting. Usually the homeowner can’t believe how incredible the transformation is. “How did it get here?” They can’t even fathom the creativity that birthed this gift. This fixer upper went from being the ugliest house on the block to the most beautiful in a matter of weeks. It took strategy, trial and errors, creativity, hard work…and they missed all of it. The good, the bad. + the ugly.
After years of the homeowner enjoying all the beautiful amenities that the home has to offer… they still will not find the appreciation for the perseverance that it took to get there, no matter how hard they try. But when that renovator drives by that house years down the road, there will be an overwhelming sense of pride for a job well done.
I can spend time wishing away the work necessary to get me where I want to go, or I can see the value in it and the cause for it.
Let me tell you.. I don’t want to miss out on the process. I don’t want to miss out on the pride of a job well done. Even though I don’t want to do the work… I need to do the work. There is more reward in it, because immediate satisfaction isn’t all its cracked up to be.
I am a fixer upper.
It is a lot easier to want to go into someone else’s life to fix their problems, but interrupting your own life is usually very uncomfortable, because you have to live in the renovation. You have to deal with the dust, the dirt, and the mess. You may not always want to invite people in, because you’re embarrassed of the chaos. Maybe you’re ashamed of the work in progress, but in the end you will be better for it.
Renovation is the ultimate state of vulnerability. You begin to uncover underlying problems and weaknesses. Once below the surface, you may find uninvited guests who have unknowingly lingered and eaten away at you for years. You may find foundational problems that could cause the entire home to sink, crack, or shift. You may find water damage creating weakness in your structural integrity. Renovation is usually a risk - a risk of uncovering bigger problems than you ever recognized were there. Problems that you have to address before ever moving forward. If we were actually talking about a house, I think most people would say anyone would be crazy to choose to continue living in a house like this if they had the option to fix it. You could try to duck tape the crack in the foundation… but that will never end well for anyone. So why do we do this in our lives and in our hearts? Why do we choose to stay in a state of brokenness instead of picking up a hammer and knocking down some walls to find the problem?
No one else can really do the work for you, no matter how hard they try. We can do our best to make everything look perfect on the outside OR we can strive for the version of ourself that allows us to heal, forgive, surrender, encourage, and be confidently vulnerable.
I wish I could tell you that we are entirely capable of fixing all of our own structural problems… but I would be leaving out the key part of this. Ever wonder why Jesus was a carpenter? I do believe that we need a willingness and surrendered heart for the best results in this life, but only God can completely transform us. Who better to fix us than the One that created us, right?
We can try to mask our brokenness with superficial beauty on our own or we can allow God to tear apart of the parts of us that are slowing deteriorating us from within.
SO I guess we all have a choice… decorate or renovate?
