Fixer Upper

I am nearing the end of C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity.  The concise chapters are packed with ideas that make me think.  The book serves as a great devotional.  One of the great influencers of Lewis was George McDonald, and Lewis refers to him frequently in his writings.  McDonald tells a parable that mirrors something like an episode of Fixer Upper.   Imagine yourself as a living house that is a huge mess.   At first God comes in to try to straighten things up.  He plugs the leaks in the roof, gets the systems working and makes the foundation sturdy.  You know those things need to be taken care of, so you are not surprised.  Right about the time that you start feeling like you are all cleaned up, He walks in with a sledge hammer.  He starts knocking down walls and punching out ceilings, and you start wondering what He is up to.  And then you realize, the house He is building is quite different from the one you imagined.  You expected a cottage, but He is building a palace - because He fully intends to come and live in it Himself.