Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Have you ever been involved in a project that completely renovated a room, house or environment? For years, I have enjoyed television shows that remodel homes. I loved watching a show called Trading Spaces and Extreme Makeover on the HGTV network. The first was a fun, light-hearted exchange of rooms between friends. Each would do the other home, trusting their friends just enough to relinquish the control of decorating ONE SINGLE ROOM to a friend or family member. It was cute, light-hearted, and, at times, tense. People have a very difficult time translating their heart desires to others, and the interpretation of it in artistic expression may not be what the individual wants. It
may end up not being at all what they had hoped for. It was merely a room CONFORMED to fit into a budget and style with minor surface changes.
Then there was Extreme Makeover, a completely different type of show. It was where someone's home needed an upgrade, and when the team of experts came, they would completely knock down, remove the old home, and replace it with a brand new, completely redesigned, and brand-new home. It was a show that grabbed you by the gut, brought tears to your eyes, and left you emotionally moved and inspired. It was TRANSFORMATIVE, radical, complete, and all or nothing. It completely removed all the remnants of a previous dwelling, leaving nothing and, eventually, looking nothing like it did. It provided a clean slate, a new start, a fresh beginning, and potential for growth within those new walls.
This is the type of change God wants to do and can do with us. Too often, we as believers will only give Jesus the creative right to ONE ROOM of our lives and hearts, and even though we ask Him to come in and make adjustments, and He will, we demand that the changes meet certain criteria and often believers are unhappy with the results because it wasn't what they themselves envisioned. But remember, God's vision is far greater than ours, and His ability to transform is limitless.
Both Shows were based on a level of trust. Each homeowner had a certain level of trust in their friends, family members, or the experts. Most of us trust people to an extent. We feel we can do a much better job and want control. We've had people fail us before, so our expectations are low, or it's just unreasonable to want people to do what they cannot, and so we walk away disappointed. We reflect that same level of trust in God. Not fully giving Him full authority to do whatever He deems necessary and good. We limit His ability to work in our lives and only have small changes in our walk with Him.
Are we willing to take a good look at the 'house' we've built? Are we ready for the radical transformation that HE alone has the power, authority, and expertise to provide? It's not until we completely take ourselves out of the equation and let HIM have HIS way that we will see true transformation, true change. This act of surrender is not a sign of weakness but a powerful choice that empowers us to experience the fullness of God's transformative love.