The house stood tattered and empty; a shell of the magnificent home it once was. Its windows cracked, paint chipping off the sides, stairs warped and leaning, concrete corroded and cracked. Over a hundred years of harsh winters and hot summers beating against it. On the inside, lifeless, dusty chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Its beams and walls showed signs of wear and tear, with faded paint and warped ceilings.
The furniture had indents from years of being used – faded from the sun and the fabric worn on every corner. The kitchen table creaked and wobbled with even the slightest amount of pressure. The floors were splintered and broken, not worth salvaging. The sandstone foundation, yes, it too had shifted from years of the heavy weight of a two-story home, and no longer structurally sound.
Tear it down and start over, they said.
But that isn’t what we saw. We saw and felt the Spirit move as we entered the house and prayed over it so many times. We saw sweet mamas and tiny feet dancing across the floors, sleeping soundly and safely in the five bedrooms upstairs. We saw family style meals where memories would be made; a study where sweet teen mothers would have the courage and strength to get their education and learn basic life skills such as parenting, budgeting, nutrition and such. We saw mamas learn how to cope with the trauma of their upbringing and desire to change the trajectory of their lives.
We saw new life.
So the same is with us. Our lives, our bodies are like that tattered, empty, broken house in need of a Carpenter. Left alone in our sinfulness, we are nothing more than a warped, corroded structure to be torn down and forgotten about. But God…He does the impossible!
He doesn’t leave us there. He sent The Carpenter to literally make us new. The Carpenter (Jesus) starts from the inside out – He gives us a new heart and makes us a new creation in Christ – the old is gone, the new has come. He doesn’t just rebuild us, He remakes us. (Ezekiel 11:19 , 2 Corinthians 5:17).
When we see the ugly, old, broken and destroyed, Jesus sees completely new. But we still must invite the Carpenter in. He is waiting, knocking at the door. When the world says we are too flawed, completely shattered, Jesus says we are perfect, made in His image and likeness.
And with the SONshine Home, we too, invited the carpenters in. The walls now torn down to the studs, the home is ready to be made new.
Demolition is complete – the SONshine Home is ready to be made new!
Despite many obstacles, God is doing the impossible. At every turn, we have seen miracle after miracle; God’s faithful provision from finances to volunteers to prayer partners. Soon, we will house young mothers and their babies. Won’t you join us as we witness God doing the impossible? Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
