Restoring the Building

Written and Illustrated by Kayla McEntyre

Through God’s loving-favor to me, I laid the stones on which the building was to be built. I did it like one who knew what he was doing. Now another person is building on it. Each person who builds must be careful how he builds on it.Jesus Christ is the Stone on which other stones for the building must be laid. It can be only Christ. 

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

I started getting pictures and dreams of myself in an old church building. It wasn’t entirely abandoned, but it wasn’t kept up. There was moss, there were some vines and weeds that crept in, and dust gathered in the pews and pulpit. Meanwhile, I saw myself there, sitting in the middle having a picnic with the Lord. Absolutely enjoying the quiet, the warmth, and the quaintness of such a pretty building that was once busy with use. There was a deep respect and appreciation for what it once was.

God showed me, this is the season I have been in for some time. A life that once was filled with ministry, filled with gathering, worship, relationships, preaching and studying The Word. A life that to be honest, has felt like many lifetimes ago. A building, a church building, that was once busy with service. 

In the image, I sat on an old blanket, Jesus sat with me. He wasn’t angry, He wasn’t frustrated. He was calm, He was caring, He was patient. He knew I needed the rest, and rested with me. But then, after the meal, He smiled, dusted off His hands and started leading me around the building. “Restore the building,” He said. 

With much stubbornness (haha). My attitude was “No! No, I like this the way it is now. I like the quiet, I like the peace, I like that I can come and go as I please, I like the building the way it has become.” Jesus (so patient), kept planting this idea, “Restore the building.” Take down the cobwebs, dust the pews, change the light bulbs, paint something new etc. 

Many times I wanted to say, “well why not just bulldoze the whole thing down?” That would be easier, right? Let’s throw away the church hurt, let’s throw away the grief, let’s toss out everything I have been taught and led in when I was in ministry. Scrap it, start over! It’s too hard, it’s too painful, it’s too messy. 

Though there are times God completely bulldozes and rebuilds our lives from the ground up, there are also times He cleanses it, cleans it up, and says, “Oh no, there are things we should keep. There are things precious here that I gave you. There was life here, there was joy, there was peace. This is your testimony. Don’t throw it away. I will make all things new.” 

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

God has a way of knowing EXACTLY what we need. It’s why we should trust our lives to Him. It’s gonna be messy (as any remodeling is), but it’s going to be worth it. Not easy to receive right away (haha), but I’ll have faith in things I haven’t seen yet. He isn’t asking to pull all the tiles on day one, but maybe He is asking to change a light bulb or maybe polish an old chandelier that He wants to keep, but it needs a new look and placement. It’s going to be a big season of letting Him keep what I thought I lost, but redeem it in the way He wants to bring abundance!

Romans 8:28 We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan.