A Dwelling Place
“You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself. (Quoted by C.S.Lewis in Mere Christianity)”
Some days you wonder at the discomfort of it all. God seems to be doing some major rearranging inside. Not just tweaking a good quality here to make it better, or goosing this bad quality to make it a bit more scarce. No he is ripping up floor boards and tearing down ceilings in your mind and heart. He is making of you a fit residence for the King of Kings. If this sounds painful it is. And disquieting.
This all reminds me of a story when Mike and I first got married. We were living in a beautiful old home in Northeast Minneapolis. It was structurally and to an artist’s eye, lovely, the artist being me. It had not been renovated, it had been remodeled. Mike thought it was fine. Frankly, I hardly noticed it until I moved into it after we were married. I then began ripping down the false lowered ceilings and the cheap paneled walls. I had Mike’s permission and he helped diligently. One day he said to me in a surprised tone, “I thought you liked this house.” I did and continued to, while restoring it to its former beauty. I loved the house. That is why I wanted it to look as beautiful as it was meant to look. And why I wanted it to be a true home for us.
Perhaps that is how Christ feels when He first comes to dwell in us. This is a beautiful place, now to make it a home. First this wall of rebellion must come down, it is blocking the view of the garden. Secondly, this paneling of false pride needs to be removed so we can see an honest heart for others beating beneath it.
I know there is a lot more work that my Lord needs to make on my dwelling place before he is completely comfortable living there. He needs to remove sins of selfishness and willfulness and pride and make the furniture tender-hearted to receive Him graciously at all times. My prayer is that I will surrender to His workmanship inside of me. That I will allow Him to make a palace in my heart for Him to dwell, unencumburred by the thorny wild growing bushes of my own will. Join me, will you? Thanks, my friends!
Libby Baker Sweiger 
Libby I loved this piece, it is so much you. I expect a post that says, If you liked book one , book two is going to knock your sox off! You know that is two stories already that are terrific. Keep going.
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Thanks for the wonderful comment Tom! I will keep writing and appreciate your encouragement!
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Libby:) This is so beautifully written! Truly enjoyed reading this! Makes me consider what remodeling my own inner home needs:)! TY for sharing this but more importantly for being the amazing soul that you are:)!!
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Daisy! You are such a blessing to me! Thanks for the kudos. Please tweet me a recent blog of yours to read. You are an awesome soul dear one! 🙂 ❤
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Beautifully written! And this is SO how I feel at the moment. Worn, torn and ready for renewal. Thanks for your words of faith this day and every day to follow. You bring light to me in the foggiest of days. Thank you.
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God bless you Michelle! You are in my thoughts and prayers today!
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Great post…so encouraging. Can’t wait to see the masterpiece we will be one day. Now If I can just move over and let the builder build!
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That is the hard part, stepping out of His way!
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Libby, I have holy goosebumps! I’m going to look at what God is doing my life as a remodel. Not sure why it feels like He’s constantly tearing something up or sledge hammering thru a wall, but I know it has a purpose. Thank you for this vivid reminder!
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Sure Mimi! Love it when you get the Holy goosebumps! Love you!
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Dear Libby
This is a wonderful extended metaphor! I feel that we are working on getting God into our hearts, but if we just invite him in it is nicer if we have spent time getting our hearts ready. Love you dear, Moosch
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Auntie Moosch! You are wonderful! I’m glad you liked the writing. Love you dear one, Libby
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Love the metaphor! Prepare & become open!
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Thanks Denise, I appreciate your readership soooo much!
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This reminds me of Romans 6: 4 ~ “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
As you put it, we are torn down to be rebuilt. God chips, pulls and washes away all that the world heaps on us and we add to it, even at a young age. When he comes to dwell in us, He recreates us in His image, as He first created Adam on the sixth day. He continues to work on, in and through us.
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Beautifully put Mark. This has brought out such great discussion and I was so inspired to write it by the C.S. Lewis quote, perhaps the second book will be on topics of faith. Thanks for your input.
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