A Place is Being Prepared for You

What do you think heaven is like right now?  Are chubby angelic babies flying around playing harps?  Is it a party?  Or a somber collective of the redeemed where no one is allowed to laugh…

I bet heaven is trashed.  Noisy. Tempestuous. And BURSTING at the seams with joyful anticipation. 

Jesus said that He ascended into heaven – not only to rule and reign right now – but also to prepare a place for those who love Him. 

He said that His Father’s house has many rooms.  But apparently, they aren’t ready yet.

Have you ever renovated a portion of your home?  Or walked through an artist’s workshop? 

It. Gets. TRASHED. 

And simultaneously, it is filled with joy.  Hope.  Anticipation. 

The Interior Design of an Artist’s Heart

There is something almost magical about watching an artist surrounded by the presence of her Muse.  Something happens that’s beyond a rational, tangible expression. 

It’s sacred.  Emotional.  Deeply personal.  There is a realm of artistic creativity that only the artist can enter into. 

And yet – when the project or piece is complete – the Spirit by which the art was created woos you into its presence and evokes an emotion that touches your soul.

Of course, this only happens after everything is cleaned up, set up, and displayed as the artist intended. 

Few people are given the privileged position to watch the chaos of the creation process that cultivates a beauty beyond what words can describe. 

God has lavished this great grace on me. 

I have watched my wife create masterpieces that, if you drop your guard for a second, will take your breath away. 

Recently, Kristy allowed me to help her with an installation for an office in town.  As the staff walked around in awe of her work, the Holy Spirit whispered to me – imagine how heaven feels right now?!   

Through this, God opened a window of understanding in my soul to see the unique grace showered on me by having a front-row seat to watch Kristy’s work.

By watching her prepare places for people, God shares a part of Jesus’ heart with us.  For us.  As He prepares heaven for us.    

I felt compelled to share that with you now. 

Interior Design with Your Heart in Mind

Before a single toss pillow is placed on a new sofa, my wife spends hours listening to clients. 

People often don’t know exactly what they want in their homes or office.  They just know that what they have isn’t working as well as they’d like.       

Kristy has an exceptional ability to ask just the right questions with a disarming tenderness that draws out the desires of a heart. 

She loves people so much that it’s like she loses herself in getting to know others.  Kristy loves seeing the intricate ways God displays His multifaceted beauty through the people He made in His image. 

So she jumps into the deep end, learning about different people, cultures, ages, desires, hopes, dreams, fears, ambitions, preferences, needs, limitations – and more – to understand everything that will comprise the components of the kaleidoscope of design she will create. 

She draws out their hearts.  Then she draws up the plans. 

And that makes me wonder. 

Is God doing something similar with us – right now? 

Could it be that God is orchestrating seasons and circumstances in your life to draw out the deepest parts of your heart so that He can draw up the perfect environment for you to flourish eternally?

The Chaos of an Interior Designer’s Creation

After the plans are approved, Kristy gets to work.  And our house gets trashed. 

We don’t have a big house.  And she no longer has a workshop. 

Every available square inch becomes eligible to be a temporary design studio. 

Our guest room gets packed with plants, pillows, lamps, and more.

The family room in the basement becomes a painting studio.  Cabinets.  Wood art.  Original fireplace mantels.  And more. 

The garage that doubles as my office and triples as a home gym gets transformed into a storage shed. 

You need ninja skills to walk through it!

You’d be forgiven if you mistook our laundry room for a lumber mill. 

Our kitchen table gets filled with curtains and other fabric. 

These projects take over nearly everything in our house. 

When Kristy prepares a place for people, she throws her entire body and soul into the project. 

This is why I think Heaven might be trashed right now.  If Jesus is preparing a place for us, then He may only sit on His throne during His lunch break. 

I bet that heaven is filled with the chaos of creation.  I’ve seen it on earth.  You see all of these pieces scattered all over the place. 

You have no idea what they are for or how they all fit together. 

But they will.

The time for the intricate and artistic organization comes later.  Right now, it just looks like an inconvenient mess. 

If that’s what your life feels like right now, take heart.  God has promised to work all things together for the good of those who love Him. 

You can’t see how the mess will be used to create a glory that surpasses the pain.  But God can.  I’ve seen something of His unsearchable wisdom in the chaos of creation Kristy engages in. 

Everything is going to work out.  It will be better than you can imagine.  You can trust the Creator. 

The Sacrifice of a Creator  

The artistic process isn’t only joy-filled.  It can be painful.  There’s a cost.  Energy that could be devoted in one direction must be focused on the project. 

Hauling lumber through snow-filled parking lots is about as fun as it sounds. 

And then there’s the inevitable physical pain.  More than once, I’ve heard a distant shriek followed by quickly moving footsteps, rushing to get to something to stop the bleeding.   

Thumbs don’t love hammerheads.  Palms don’t love drill bits.  Lungs don’t love lacquer. 

Jesus doesn’t love sin. 

Carrying the lumber of our cross up the hill of Calvary was about as fun as it sounds. 

Nails laced with our sin were driven through His palms to pin Him to the punishment we deserved. 

The Author of life died the death we deserve – so that He could lavish a love on us that we could never deserve.  And now, can never lose. 

You are so profoundly, fervently, passionately, tenderly loved by God that He would die to make you His own. 

The holes in His hands are now our wedding bands.   

God will not let anything get in the way of His ability to fully enjoy loving every part of you forever!  Not even your sin.  It’s been paid for. 

Not the pain that you’ve suffered at the hands of others.  He’s going to use that – somehow – to create a beauty for you to enjoy that if you let your guard down for a minute, it will leave you breathless. 

I know He can.  I’ve seen it.  He’s promised it.  Jesus is the faithful lover your heart longs for. 

Interior Design With Your Heart in Mind

This love is what you’ve been set apart for.  And it’s what sets Kristy and her design work apart. 

She worships while she works. 

God has redeemed wounds in her soul and brokenness in her heart that have shaped a deep love for God and a profound love for His people. 

 She doesn’t just paint.  She prays.    

She loves creating – because she feels the love of the Creator flowing through her as she does. 

My wife adorns the world with beauty because she can sense the Holy Spirit of God pouring beauty into His world through her hands. 

Abraham Kuyper wrote,

“There is not a square inch in the whole of creation over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”

When Kristy creates a place for people, I can see the Holy Spirit of God reclaiming, redeeming territory for His glory.

And as He does – joy, peace, and delight adorn formerly depressed spaces. 

Interior Design with Eternity in Mind

Walls that used to be barren become vibrant.  They reflect personality and share something of a person’s heart. 

Rooms that used to be cold and bleak are transformed into spaces of invitation and hospitality.

People feel inspired and hopeful.  Nurtured and seen.  They are eager to get into their office.  Proud to invite people into their spaces. 

Through Kristy’s hands, I have seen a little bit of heaven come to earth. 

Jesus prayed for it.  He told us to do the same.  He will answer.  He has. 

It’s rewarding to see a project to completion.  But when you know the backstory, when you’ve seen the behind-the-scenes bloopers and sacrifice, it takes it to a whole nother level. 

I’m not sure if heaven is actually trashed right now.  But I do know this.  I have seen how attentive, caring, intentional, and creative an interior designer can be. 

As sensational as Kristy’s work is – its purpose is to point us to the creative brilliance of Jesus. 

If what she is doing here and now is this incredible, I tell you what. 

I CANNOT WAIT to see what God has in store for those who love Him!

The creative beauty that adorns this world through people like Kristy – this is just the appetizer.  The opening act. 

Jesus is the closer.  The feast.  The main event. 

I don’t know all of what heaven is or will be like.  But I know this.  Right now, He is creating a home that reflects His heart.  And in that place, we will know that we are finally home.