Renovation

 

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ~Mark 8:31

March, as most of you already know, is one of the busiest months we've had in a while.  With the kids coming for a week's visit, there are so many preparations and planning for feeding and entertaining the family troops.  We are so pleased, too, that we can show them our most recent, and necessary for us, home improvement project that is finished and ready by the time they arrive.

What is this project, you ask?  A complete renovation of our master bathroom!  Believe me, this is NOT a decision that Danny and I make lightly.  It takes lots of research in choosing a reliable company, not to mention the timeliness of the actual renovation itself.  We feel so fortunate to contract with a local, family-owned and operated bath company with fantastic reviews and stellar customer service.

Their pleasant, knowledgeable sales rep shows up to our home right on time so we can see samples of what we can choose in the way of shower insert, fixtures such as handlebars, which we need, believe me, showerhead options, and new water-resistant flooring.  She isn't pushy or forceful in her presentation, and allows us ample time to pick and choose from seemingly endless styles and colors.  Danny and I easily agree on what we want for this new shower; being married for twenty years (this April 2nd), we know each other's tastes pretty well, if I say so myself.

And why now to accomplish this renovation?  Honestly, we aren't getting any younger, and would like to stay here in our home for as long as the Lord allows.  Danny recently hurts his knee to the point where stepping over the edge of our old-fashioned tub is a daily painful experience.  I, too, have had my fair share of balance issues, so this decision, while an expensive one, makes perfect sense to us.

Here is a photo of our old bathroom:

And here's what it looks like after the remodeling is complete, and freshly painted:

Wow!  What a difference, right?

Yes, our bathroom is completed in one day, as promised.  However, there is a catch:  We have to wait three days before we can use the shower insert to make sure everything has time to set and dry correctly.  Immediately, I'm reminded of the Easter story, the one we will soon be celebrating, the glorious day when God the Father resurrects His beloved Son, Jesus, from the dead.

Waiting three days, taken in the context of our bath remodel, seems unbelievably easy in light of the pain, anguish and confusion that Jesus' followers must have suffered in those dark days between the Lord's death on a cross and His resurrection.  A three-day span must have felt interminable for them.  Consumed by grief and fear, they forget what Jesus has promised them would happen on that blessed third day.

But we, as Christ-followers today, know how the story ends.  And we give thanks and praise to God for the grace and mercy He shows to us through Jesus' conquering, once and forever, death and the grave.  May we all celebrate the renovation of us all from the inside out on Easter and always.

Amen!