Behind Whitewashed Walls [or God’s Destructive Mercy]
Some friends of mine bought a house – a sweet, move-in ready home, needing just a tweak or two for style. However, small tasks turned into an enormous project as they slowly discovered that there was mold in their house from top to bottom, hidden behind those pretty, freshly painted walls. So instead of decorating and settling in, they found themselves painstakingly removing every wall and treating the mold that hid beneath. Understandably, it has been a painful and frustrating process, as each week seemed to bring a terrible new discovery
As my friends walked through this often overwhelming situation, I couldn’t help thinking that their home is in many ways a good analogy for our own hearts. We’re all in the business of presentation. We make tweaks here and there to show ourselves to the world the way we want to be seen. Our manners, our dress, our causes – they help us towards our desired perception. But sometimes, behind the whitewashed walls of our outward display, undesirable things are growing. Greed, lust, jealousy, anger, bitterness, vanity… slowly spreading into our beams and causing rot.
We want to see ourselves (and be seen by others) in the best light – just like my friend saw her new house. Discovering the mold in our hearts and our relationships can be as devastating as it was to find it in their walls. We don’t want to believe its there. Surely we just need a little more paint. Cover it with drywall- if no one sees it is it there? 
If my friends hadn’t found the mold in their house, their short term would have felt much better. They’d have spent their evenings playing with their boys and relaxing instead of ripping apart drywall. But the mold would still be there, and years from now they would be wondering why they’re sick.
Their process of demolition and reconstruction makes me think of God’s destructive mercy. Sometimes He rips the walls off our lives, because if He doesn’t we’ll never be forced to see and confront the mold. Only when it’s exposed can it be treated and the work of His restorative mercy begun – when He puts you back together. Slowly, patiently… until you’re more beautiful than before.
One of Jesus’ most stinging rebukes was calling the religious leaders of his day “white-washed tombs. Beautiful on the outside, but inside full of dead men’s bones.” That can describe us too. Beautiful on the outside. Friendly people with well crafted facebook profiles who are full of death.
So if you find yourself in a season of destruction- where the walls seem to have been ripped off your life, leaving you exposed…consider that it may be an act of mercy. Let God’s Spirit treat the mold – slowly, patiently… and have faith that He’ll put you back together.
