what you see and what you get

There's this house that I drive by often. Ok, so it's on the way to the gym...so I probably don't drive by it THAT often, but still...I see it a lot(ish). I remember right after we moved to this area seeing it for the first time. It was love at first sight! The thing is, this house isn't beautiful...not by most standards. It's not new, manicured, freshly painted or even well-maintained! From just the outside looks of it (sadly, I haven't been blessed enough to see the inside) it actually looks like it would take a LOT of work to make it not only livable, but restored to it's original state of beauty.

There's a longing that happens in my gut when I drive by this house. I want it. I want to pour every ounce of blood, sweat and tears in restoring it...and not just that, but making it useful. I'd love to see it made into a community center of sorts, or maybe even a neighborhood tutoring center...it's literally a block from a local high school. Maybe we could live in the upstairs and the downstairs could benefit the community in some way. Ok, so for this post anyway, how it's used isn't really the point. Sure it's pretty important...what good is something beautiful if you can't share it?

For today, though, it's the longing in my gut that gets me. The way that I see that house. It's like I don't really see what's in front of me. I see more. I see what it could be...dream of what it could look like...how I'd work to fix, repair and restore it's original frame and intricate details. I already see it like that. When I gaze at it (admittedly driving slower than I should, whilst gawking) I see it...restored, full of beauty.

That longing has spread from my gut to my heart. That way of seeing what is broken--restored, is how God sees us, His beautiful bride...His prize creation. We are worn, broken, rotten and in need of Love. Sin has weathered us from the inside, out. We can't fix it...there aren't enough paint brushes on the earth to restore us to our original state of beauty...the state we were created to be in...to be in community with our Creator. Jesus came to restore, redeem us. Only He can make us whole again. And when we trust Him, follow Him, believe Him...the rot stops. The darkness is gone...and the restoration begins. And our Creator...He sees us in our original beautiful condition...and we're no longer a run-down, abandoned heap of wood and brick...but strong, clean, whole...holy.

I'm longing to see not just what my eyes can see in front of me today, but see what God sees. Jesus said that we will worship Him 'in Spirit and in Truth' and I long to do that...to live in the Truth that He sees, love what He loves, grieve over what grieves His heart. And what I know about Him is that He longs for this too. So, today, I'll 'ask, seek and knock' and watch and listen closely to see and hear Him...in Spirit and in Truth. If you ask Him, He'll surely respond.