My remodeling company, Tile with Style Plus, recently went to change out the tile in someones bathroom floor. There wasn’t anything wrong with the floor, or so they thought, however they wanted to change the look. This reminds me of so many of us that cling to the denial that nothings wrong and alot of times just flat out don’t realize it. Many times we think all we need is to change our partners, our jobs, our appearance.

Many folks get saved and stop there, satisfied with the promise of eternal life and not realizing there are some real changes that need to be made from the inside out. That’s one of the things I love about the 12 Steps and 8 Principles of Celebrate Recovery. It’s how we can dig below the surface to deal with those problems that can’t be seen on the outside! As we began to take out the tile in this bathroom floor we soon realized there were much bigger problems underneath that needed to be addressed. There was wood damage, rot, mold, and moisture. We realized that there was a big problem just under the surface that could hurt someone if it weren’t dealt with. In fact, left to continue, this problem could have ended up ruining the entire house!

Now here’s the choice when we get to this stage of revelation. These homeowners now realize to fix the damage they didn’t even know existed they would have to invest much more money. There was a greater cost to be paid to fix this right. No quick fix!

In our recoveries, when we get to this stage of realization we come to know that to fix this right we too have to invest more. We too come to realize our issue might be much bigger than we realized to begin with. Some folks just pull a new piece of plywood over the problem and re hide it. That’s much cheaper and easier in the short term but does nothing for the continued damage taking place beneath the surface. The issues you and I have below the surface will continue to eat away at the fabric of our lives if we don’t deal with them.

Many folks are sitting in the pews while the foundations of their lives are wet, moldy, and rotting. Just below the surface they have issues that they don’t realize they have or they’ve covered them up because it’s much cheaper and easier than dealing with them. What really needs to be done is for all this damaged stuff to be ripped out. That’s right. When we begin to work through the steps and principles we begin to tear out the damaged stuff!

We have to be diligent and careful to get it all. The mess below the surface can be completely torn out and replaced with good stuff. We can begin to clean up from the inside out and build the solid foundation of a life of freedom. Free from the worry that the floors of our lives will one day cave in or fall apart because of what was hidden below the surface.

As we make our way through the steps and principles we tear out the damaged stuff and replace it with new material. Putting in what’s supposed to be there and building a foundation that’s stronger than the original. We get to a point where our lives, below the surface are healthy and strong. Cleaned out from the damage and deterioration that were eating away at us.

We’re able to begin helping others to realize the process is worth it. Because of our remodeling experience we’re able to share with others the benefits of the investment and that through our experience of digging below the surface we were able to clean up a mess that we didn’t know or didn’t want to know was there. And because we dealt with the mess underneath the surface looks new and beautiful!

Matthew 23:26…”Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”