Old Wood, New Life

I've painted my porches.
Yes, its very close to winter, but I decided to tackle this project. With the help of my close friend, and a week of lovely weather, we got the primer coat done.
As I painted the first post, I was struck by the vibrant effect that the white paint gave to the weathered and scarred post. It was as if each stroke on paint applied by me breathed new life into the wood before me.
I imagined myself coming before the Lord, looking just like those posts--weathered, scarred, their paint peeling--and I remember feeling that those porches looked like no one took care of them. And just like I dedicated some time to painting those porches, God takes time for me. He breathes new life into me, He sands down the rough and damaged places, He washes away the dirt and dust of time, and He applies a new layer of paint to me.
I pull in my driveway now and the difference that the paint on the porches has made astounds me. The entire house looks cared for, vibrant, alive. Like its residents care about it and it shines through to the outside.
The Lord resides inside of me. And He has taken down the "house" that was the life that I had built. He has laid a new foundation for it, and He is rebuilding my "house" each day to reflect its resident-Himself.