I have been helping my youngest daughter remodel her house, and boy does my back hurt. However, it has been very gratifying to see things take shape. It is amazing how a fresh coat of paint can make such a difference. Before long, all the old will be covered by paint or new flooring, and it will look like a brand-new house.
But, the key word there is “look”. It won’t actually be a new house; it will just look like one.
Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t work in our lives that way? He doesn’t just renovate our lives, He transforms them. We don’t just look new, we are new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
At our two shelters, men and women come in every day searching for a new life. Our goal in helping them is two-fold. First, we want them to know that Jesus and His Word hold the answers to all of life’s problems. In some cases, we are able to help them find a relationship with Him or renew an old one.
Secondly, whether they are a believer in Jesus or not, we want them to begin a new way of thinking about things. We want them to know that, whether you are a Christian or not, the way to make something new is to replace it, not just cover it with a quick fix. In many cases, this means replacing their people, places, and things. New friends, new hang outs and new habits. Change is hard and sometimes painful. But in the long run, a new life is much better than a renovated one.
I hope you will pray for the men, women and children who come to our shelters. First, that they would see their need for a Savior and second, that they would be willing to make the hard choices it takes to have a new life. Your prayers make a difference.
