We’ve been renovating our home. It’s an old farm cottage that has been added onto and covered up over the years.

We’re in the process of uncovering and discovering this place. Figuring out what the original design was. It’s been an interesting process.

This process involves demolition – tearing down walls, ripping up carpet, taking a closer look at the foundational parts of the home…

But as we’re digging deep, we’re discovering some really wonderful things that were part of the home’s original design. Old brick chimneys, bead board walls and ceilings, original hardwood floors. We’ve even discovered old gift boxes from the 1940s in the walls that apparently fell over in the attic/closet –a couple of the boxes even had little “treasures” in them. 🙂

Even though discovering these things has been wonderful, it’s not always a pretty process. As we find the old and work to make it “new” sometimes we run into issues, and sometimes things take longer than expected. Some of the “patching up” and “covering up” process has damaged some of the original and we have to work around that. Some damage can’t be fixed, it just has to be made new. There are some places in the house that have been weakened and so we’re having to go into these foundational areas to strengthen them. It is taking time and it is definitely taking patience as we do most of this ourselves.

But it’s worth it.

There’s a whole different house beneath the house that we purchased –there’s an original design with treasures and character hidden underneath. I love that.

I am realizing just how much this house is like my own life.

I too have an “original design” and I am finding myself in a process of discovering who that is, what that looks like… I am in the “restoration process” with the Lord, and we are discovering and uncovering His “original design”… uncovering the patches and cover-ups, taking a look at the damage to see what’s there and what needs to be repaired –what needs to be demolished and what needs to be restored. Restoring the old and making it new.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10

–Heather ?