“So we do not lose heart. Even though our
outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For
this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory
beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot
be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”
-
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
When
I moved to Waco in 2008, one of the more distinctive landmarks in downtown Waco
was the pair of large, rusting grain silos near the “grease pit” road of fast food
chains off I-35. The silos, which had sat unused for years, stood as
unfortunate metaphors for a once-proud city whose best days were seemingly behind
it.
But
then in 2014, Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of what had already become a hit
show on HGTV, Fixer Upper, announced their
plans to buy both the silos and their surrounding land in order to build a
marketplace for home improvement, interior decorating, and Fixer Upper merchandise. With the backing of the city government, the
local community, and Fixer Upper fans
everywhere, the Gaineses spent the better part of a year turning that patch of
abandoned land into a decorator’s Disneyland, complete with food trucks, a children’s
play area, and a bakery serving some of the best cupcakes in central Texas.
Magnolia Marketplace, a.k.a. “The Silos,” is now one of the biggest tourist
attractions in the nation, drawing upwards of 1.5 million guests per year.
Yet
when you drive through Waco, you wouldn’t be able to see any of that from I-35,
just the same old silos. There’s been no update to the silos themselves, no
modernization or fresh coat of paint—despite the city government’s urging, the
Gaineses insisted they remain as is. The silos still look exactly the same
today as they did in 2008, the original paint job continuing to chip away, the
exposed metal getting a little rustier with every rainstorm. Only by stepping
inside Magnolia’s sprawling complex can you see the renewal that’s occurred.
At
some point, everyone starts to feel like the way those silos look—beaten down
by circumstances, abandoned by better times. When the world is cruel and life is
unfair, it becomes tempting to think that there is no hope for the future, that
you are condemned to keep taking life’s punches until they knock you out once
and for all.
But
for believers in Christ, God promises inward renewal even in the face of
outward turmoil. His mercies are new every morning, which means even when your struggles
feel meaningless and your sorrows seem unnoticed, the truth is that God is ministering
to you in your pain—and may even be giving you the opportunity to minister to others
through it.
Jesus’s
empty tomb serves as a promise to every Christian that there is no degree of
suffering which cannot be redeemed by God. So when all you can see is the visible
ugliness, may God give you eyes to see the glorious work He’s doing within.
No comments:
Post a Comment