Fixer-Upper

Matthew 6:25, "Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock."

Are any of you board game players?

When I was growing up, I loved to play the board game called "LIFE". You got your little car and your tiny, plastic person to sit in the driver's seat. You could choose to go to college, but that required starting off in debt; or, you could choose to take the other road, not start off in debt, but also not get to choose two of the highest paying careers. As you drive your plastic car along the board, you hit stop signs that say "Get Married", "Buy a House", and so on.


I haven't played this game in quite some time, but the other day, God reminded me of all the different houses you got to pick from when you landed on “Buy a House”.

The most expensive house in “LIFE” was a mansion. It was pink and purple which made it look like a Barbie house, but nonetheless, it was still a mansion. Then, there was the least expensive house. It was a "fixer-upper" to say the least. An earthquake seemed to have reached this house, and it was split in half.

You may be wondering, "Where on earth are you going with this?" Hang in there. I have a point.

As I thought about this game and the choices of houses I could pick from, I thought about the kind of guys that I tend to choose as prospects in my real life.

This thought came to mind. "Taylor, you have a tendency to choose the guys that are 'fixer-uppers' rather than choosing the guys God has already been working on Himself."

I don't look at guys and see them where they're at today. I recognize where they're at, but I see them and think, "They have the potential to be amazing men of God."

Yes, everyone has potential! That house that is split in two can be rebuilt. It can be whole again. However, when it comes to people (especially people we are considering marrying), we need to realize that whether they are made whole again isn't up to us. That's between them and God. It's true they have the potential to be on fire for God and an amazing spouse, but will they be? Where they're at today is something we need to pay attention to and ask, "Am I interested in who they ARE or who they CAN BE?"

Going back to the house illustration, God's given me a lot of comparisons. I believe the main one He caused me to think of was the foundation.

The foundation of a house is the most important thing to consider. If the foundation is good, the house can stand through storms. However, if the house is built on a bad foundation, it will fall. Jesus talks about this concept in Matthew 7:24-27. "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."

Marriage isn't easy! Storms are going to come. The foundation that a marriage is built on will determine whether that house can stand or will fall with the slightest wind.

God caused me to ask myself this question: "Do you want the house that is broken in two that needs repair in every area, or do you want the house that needs maintenance and touch-ups instead?"

I'm not going to pretend that there is a perfect person out there somewhere to marry. Jesus is the only perfect person who ever walked this earth. So me writing this isn't to say that we need to wait for a flawless guy to come across our path. What I am saying is that there is a difference between someone who isn't perfect but is being transformed by Jesus every day versus the person who is broken and has many, many areas where Jesus needs to heal them before they can be whole for marriage.

Are you looking for a fixer-upper or for someone God has already been mending and healing and transforming?

Something my mom has told me ever since I can remember is this: "If God is first, everything else will fall into place." As Matthew 6:33 puts it, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

So do we need a perfect person? No! What we need is someone who puts God above anyone and anything else.

That is the foundation that will determine the rest of that relationship.

My encouragement to you is to not settle with the person whose foundation isn't Christ. If their foundation is Christ, a relationship can stand through any storm, but if their foundation isn't Christ, even the slightest wind can cause that relationship to crumble.

Dear Jesus,

You've given me the analogy of a house to help me think about relationships. You've shown me how important it is that You are the foundation because without that, a relationship will crumble. Help me build on the solid Rock, which is You. When tempted to carry on with a relationship that is not built on You, help me remember that it will not be able to stand strong through the storms of life. In Jesus' Name.

Amen.