Peeling off the Layers

Philippians 1:6 says“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I decided one summer I would redo the boys’ bathroom. The wallpaper was coming off in places so I decided that I would strip the paper off & paint it. My summer was almost over when I finally decided it was time to strip and paint. I got my kids involved and we had a blast making a huge mess. As I was peeling off the layers I thought," this is me". I, like the wall, look really good in certain areas, but there are those places that I hope others don't see. I hate when people would come over, because the boys’ bathroom was also the guest bathroom and it looked horrible. The paper had come loose in a few places so my little ones took that as an invitation & peeled away. In other areas it was peeling off with no-ones help. It was embarrassing to me for anyone to see it. I don't like for people to see what I am like inside sometimes. I’m prideful, arrogant, selfish, and jealous and many more I'm sure. I want people to see my wallpaper not the real me. We kept peeling the paper and one of my sons said, “Look mom there’s an ugly wall in there! Are we going to paint this?"

As I finished taking all of the paper off the wall this verse came to my mind. "I'm like these walls aren’t I Lord," I prayed. "I have so many layers of filth that you are trying to peel away. You have begun such an amazing work in my life but my "wallpaper" keeps getting in the way of the beautiful picture of me that you are painting." If we truly desire to become the masterpiece that God has intended for us then we welcome the layers of wallpaper to come off, as painful as it may be. My son was right about the wall underneath the paper. It was plain & kind of ugly, so are we without our "wallpaper" until the Lord begins painting His masterpiece do we really begin to look beautiful. I'm not done with that bathroom yet, but I hope that it will look better after I get done, than it did before I started. I’ll finish the bathroom, but the Lord will never be finished with me while I am still on this earth. I pray that while I am living that my life will reflect Christ and people will see the beautiful masterpiece that He is creating in me, but I also look forward to the day when He has completed His work in me.

What a glorious day when I can stand before him with no layers of wallpaper, only as His masterpiece.