Something more Permanent

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. --Colossians 3:1-3 (NIV)

For the last 5 months, the window treatment in the master bedroom has been, well, a work in progress. The drapery rods and curtains are quite attractive, but the shades covering the window were atrocious. They were the 2-dollar adhesive variety that we purchased out of sheer necessity with little regard to aesthetics. I don't know why it took me so long to replace them, other than the fact that I was too lazy to want to expend the simple effort. I managed to convince myself that they looked fine.

Today the old shades came down and in their place I installed new ones. The hardest part about putting up the new ones was eliminating the remnant pieces of the old shades. Even as flimsy as they were, the adhesive proved a formidable challenge. It was almost as though it was reluctant to give up its place in the window to something more permanent. All traces of the old ones needed to come out to make room for the sturdy ones.

The same is true of things I harbor in my heart at times. I convince myself that things I do really aren't that bad, and that making changes requires too much work. I know that I should give all of my thoughts and actions over to God, but I am often set in my ways. My head tells me that what God has to offer me in exchange for my old way of doing things is far better than whatever I was attempting on my own, but still I falter. In order to live fully for Christ, I need to let go and let Him take over.

Like installing the new shades, the Holy Spirit works in my heart to establish a new attitude. Where previously my heart had been occupied by flimsy ideas, ugly sins, and fleeting fancies, I am given something more permanent. Daily I am reminded that I need to look not to things of this world for satisfaction, but to God. As His will unfolds in my life, I learn that the saving grace that God has extended to me is the only thing worth treasuring.

As long as I'm on earth, my heart will be a work in progress. Trading in the temporary for the permanent isn't always easy, but the end result is beautiful.