Faux Finished Faith?

This past week, I tackled a big project on my to-do list and refinished several pieces of furniture with a faux finish. Using paints and glaze, I turned dated pine cabinets into something that looks, well, older. Sounds weird, huh? My "update" was rather ironic, but I love furniture that looks weathered and aged. See the makeover project here.

My cabinets had a dramatic change. I hope it looks like vintage furniture aged to perfection. But I know you aren't fooled. Underneath, it is still cheap pine furniture. It's a fake (faux) version of the real thing. And guess what? It might look great now, but if I rough it up with use, it's likely to chip or peel to reveal what's really under the faux finish.

Sometimes, we have faux finished faith. On the outside, we look like followers of Jesus, but on the inside, nothing is changed. We're still the same as we always were. But when life scuffs us up and things get rough, we're sure to see what's really underneath. I realize that sometimes I go through the motions without letting God make permanent changes in my heart and attitudes. When I'm under stress, my family sees the real me, the part that flips out when the house is a mess or someone makes a mistake. I'm a work in progress as God continues to work on my "makeover".

How is your faith? Has Jesus changed you from within the deep layers, or do you go through the motions? We're all a work in progress, so don't be discouraged if God still has work to do. He's working on me too. Real faith isn't just painted on. It's a process that takes time as God renews us from the inside out.