I went by the church earlier for some adoration time. Our church is in the middle of a large renovation project. It looks very obvious that it is an add-on. I went on into our temporary chapel and sat before my Lord in the tabernacle.
There was a lot of noise from outside because of the construction. My thoughts went to the construction and then to my faith journey. Was my faith just an add-on? Is it something that I wear that just doesn't look quite right? Am I still the same 48 year old building on the inside?
I prayed on this for a while.
I could hear all of the commotion going on outside. I wondered how many people were working on the church. I thought about the hundreds of hands that had and were working on the church. How many hands has God used in my life to renovate me? Who was He using to work on me now? The person who challenged me to go to adoration more frequently, to attend daily mass and pray the rosary. Sure, it is those people. It is also my family, friends, co-workers and classmates.
I felt better realizing all the hands that were helping me along the way. But, was anything really changing on the inside. I got up to go back to work. On the way out, I ran into my pastor and he offered to take me inside of the church to see the renovations from the inside. I was amazed at how much had already been done. I could see all of the great changes that were going on inside.
While it hurts a bit to have someone point out where you may be falling short, it is just those times that if we approach it with humility can yield some of the greatest renovations in our hearts. My heart feels better.
