Remodel
Over the past few months, we have begun the process of updating our house one slow step at a time! Our living room and hallway had wood paneling half way up the wall topped off with a chair rail. For the past year in which we have lived in this house, we would often discuss and wonder what lurked underneath the brown panels. We brought in “experts” to scope it out, and they told us if we take the paneling down, we would most likely need to retexture everything because 99% of the time the paneling is glued to non-textured sheet rock and it is almost impossible to match the existing texture on the upper portion of the walls. This news was, in our minds, the worst-case scenario. We expected the worst causing us to sit back and avoid taking action because we didn’t know where to start. This project was going to be way beyond what we could accomplish.
Daily, we would sit in the house and look at the walls and just discuss our options. “What do you think? Is it glued? Is it textured? Is it just nailed in? Can we even do this?” These debates continued until I finally gathered enough nerve to remove a tiny piece of the paneling. As I began to pry, the chair rail popped off easily. Then I began to peel the wood paneling, and to my shock, it was just nailed in. Removing the full piece, we discovered the whole wall was textured!! We could not believe it! Courtney and I both started jumping up and down hollering in excitement. The removal turned out to be one of the easiest things so far in our remodeling project.
In our project, we spent countless hours worrying and planning when all we had to do was take action. Sometimes in our lives, we look at our relationship with God like I looked at the paneling. We are afraid to go to Him because our lives are filled with pain and hurts. We are afraid for Him and for others to see what is underneath. God wants to peel away the layers of darkness and filth so that our lives can be full of His goodness and His beauty. We shouldn’t delay by sitting around just talking about it. We need to take action and bring ourselves before our Heavenly Father. He can remove the pain and hurts from our lives if we will just come to Him! Take time today and spend with the Father. He is waiting and loves you no matter what.

Jeremy