Stripping Wallpaper
Kim Dent
Have you ever had to tear off old, stuck, ugly wallpaper? It's NOT a fun job! I remember our first house was completely covered in wallpaper in every room...and not just one layer! It seemed we would finally steam, scrape and peel our way through one layer and another hideous pattern would be revealed!
Mark and I spent weeks steaming, scraping and sweating to restore the walls in our little house to their original state. Many times I just wanted to give up and slap some paint over the layers of paper and call it "good enough". My husband wouldn't allow it...he somehow always kept the vision of what it could be and he would encourage me to keep working with him...he never even entertained the thought of taking the easy way out...
We eventually got the walls scraped, sanded, primed and repainted. They were beautiful...probably even more so to us because of the great effort it took!
I wonder...has The Lord been after you to do a little re-wallpapering of the walls of your mind? Those old habits, hurts and hang-ups that have been occupying prime space in your thought life, like old ugly wallpaper, need to go! Be prepared, they won't go easily. Those old thoughts, lies and beliefs that are so deeply rooted in us will take honest, hard work to strip them off of our mind's walls. Like the old wallpaper in my house, these old thoughts often have a "Strong Hold" on your mind.
Thankfully, Our Lord knows the plans He has to restore the walls of our minds (Jer. 29:11) He keeps the vision and is continually encouraging you and I to "Keep working with Him" He will never let us slap the paint of religion over the old lies, beliefs and thoughts that keep us from the abundant life He has planned for us. He will do what seems impossible (Matt. 19:26) but we must work with Him! We must not just hear the Word but actively DO WHAT IT SAYS! (James 1:22)
So, are you ready for a fresh start? Jesus has all the tools (weapons) you will need to demolish the ugly, tacky strongholds papering your mind. (2 Cor. 10: 3-5) He is waiting for you to get serious about the business of re-wallpapering your mind, no more short-cuts. He will do all the heavy lifting but you and I must Work With Him! The end result will be a Beautiful Mind!
Re-Wallpapering
Tearing down my mind's wrong beliefs
Replacing with Truth!
(Haiku by Margaret Slabach)
