Sludge had crept up the windows, and a full coat of moss and mildew covered the door. Even a clever observer would not have been able to determine the original clean white which had now been completely discolored and abandoned to a weather-beaten tan-grey; it was nearly black. The majestic building, built all those many years ago with such care, deliberation and precision, was a ruin and could barely now even be called a house, let alone a home.
But still she lived there, working around the filth, never opening a door which may cause a stack of unwanted items to come tumbling down on her; ignoring the rotted countertops, failing floorboards, insect-infested cupboards and bedrooms and extremely leaky plumbing.
Day after day, allowing it to grow worse and worse, she watched as her house began to fall.
Looking from the outside, one could not see the inside at all, and from the inside, one could not see the outside. But it had been this way so long, she began to stop noticing. Though occasionally it hit her hard how much disrepair had come upon her dwelling. And, though many of her friends did not mind her house the way it was, and many of them lived in similar places, there was the occasional person around whom she felt ashamed to show her house.
It was at these times when she attempted to make some modifications, to try and fix the place up. But it was in such bad shape, she could effect little change. Even attempting to clean off the windows and scrub the outside to improve its appearance proved short-lived and extremely difficult, to say the least.
This reminded her that she was lonely, and without the help of a friend or relative. She longed more than anything to marry, and often cycled through men to see if she could find the right one. But everyone had proved more harmful and disruptive than she could have imagined - was there just one right man out there for her? Would she live this way forever?
One day, there was a knock on the door. She answered to find a man dressed in overalls, and carrying a toolbelt and ladder. He was not extremely handsome, and she could tell that he carried the wisdom and maturity of a man who worked hard and long.
"What can I do for you?" asked the girl.
"I'm here to make you an offer" said the man.
"Your house is in desperate need of assistance, and I am the handiest handyman you'll ever meet. Mind if I have a look around?"
She didn't know what to say, though she had seen before the prices these sorts of men charged for their work, and was immediately skeptical.
"Look around? Would it cost me anything?"
"No," said the man, "nothing at all."
"Alright, go ahead." said the girl, wondering what the catch was.
The man looked around, building a complete schematic of the house, its needs, the dangers of the structure, the quality of life, and the feature list; even down to the food in the refrigerator which was, sadly, very unhealthy indeed.
As the girl watched the man go about his work, she began to admire him. He took several weeks to complete the task, and was very thorough about everything he did. From the foundations, to the structure, to the drain-field and well, to the simple hardly noticeable items such as the low spots in the gravel driveway, the man inspected everything. His arms were strong, she could tell, as he lifted things to look under them, and she could see he had a great deal of experience in many different matters. There was an air about him that suggested poise, dignity. But there was also something else, something difficult to place.
Upon concluding his analysis, the man returned and presented his findings.
"It looks like you're in pretty bad shape, and at this rate I don't know how much longer the house can stand - you will soon have a field in its place!" said the man.
"But never fear, I am able to salvage the entire place - even add on a few new features you've been living without. It'll look real nice when I'm done. Would you like me to fix it up for you?"
Now, sure she would be paying a fortune for his work, she decided it was a bad idea after all to let the man look around. She began to back out and inform the man she had nothing to offer in return and that he would probably need to find someone else's house to repair.
But the man was persistent and, without blinking, looked her in the eye to say, "I require only two things in return for my work, should you determine to accept -- first, that you always allow me, and only me, to work on your house in the future. And second, your hand in marriage - again, exclusively to be mine."
Overwhelmed and shocked, the girl staggered back - what was this all about? How could she just go giving away her heart, just like that? But then she stopped and considered. She remembered all the other men and objects to which she had already given her heart, and imagined now how horrified the man would be if he found out. She determined that he must never find out, and that she should definitely not accept his offer -- if only, she justified, for his own good.
But before the words were able to exit her mouth, he looked into her eyes and called her by name. She had never told him her name, how did he know?
"I know what you are thinking, and I know what you have done. I know how you feel and what you wish; I have been watching you for many years. I know you better than you know yourself. I know all about your past, your mistakes, your hurts, your troubles and your fears, and I want you anyway. I will take care of you better than you can ever imagine, and will love you more than you could dream. I will give meaning to your life, and set you free of the shame of your home and life. Will you accept my offer? I am good to my word."
Taken by surprise yet again, and having just heard an offer for which she had wished and dreamed about all her life, she quietly accepted his offer, wide-eyed and profoundly moved. Numbly, excitedly, and suddenly in a craze of joy, she threw her arms around him and began to cry hysterically.
"Its too good to be true!" she sobbed.
"Yes, I know. But it is true." soothed the man.
"But it won't be easy - I will be dealing with your entire house, rebuilding every corner, fixing every crack, and changing your way of life. I need to demolish parts of the house, and your life will change accordingly; and it will hurt sometimes to see the changes I need to make. But you must always trust me, understand that I will be working to restore the home to its original beauty and functionality. You must always trust, and believe I have your best in mind, and that I will come through on my side of the bargain."
So they were married, and he began work on her house immediately. But, as he said, it was not easy. She found herself many times imagining she could do something better than he could, and making her own changes. Invariably, this simply added to the work load of her husband, and she was profoundly ashamed every time, but he was always very forgiving and continued on.
Sometimes a friend or neighbor would stroll by, having heard what changes this man had made to the girl's life, and peer curiously at the house to see the changes, and though there was unmistakably a difference in the girls' lifestyle, they could not often understand why the man allowed the house to appear so shabby on the outside.
There were many other houses on the street, and they appeared very fine. One day, taking a stroll along the sidewalk with her husband, the girl asked him why all these houses looked just fine if they didn't have someone like him to come and keep them up. In answer, the man gripped a piece of the front of the house and tore off a sheet of paper covering to reveal under it a more shabby and run-down home than even hers had been.
"Since they, like you, found they were unable to repair or clean up their houses, they have covered it up with a picture of what they would have everyone imagine their house truly is. And when it rains or gets very hot, the paper is ruined, and they must replace it again with a new picture. I made my offer to them too, but they sent me away, stating they did not need my help."
Nearly a year after the man had first appeared, the home renovation was very close to completion. There were still items which needed attention, and the girl still found herself trying to build or repair things herself, which continued to fail. Each time, she would need to request that her husband make the correct repair, now having also to repair her mistake. But when asked, he was always glad to do it for her - he loved her very much.
Contemplating one day, the girl asked him why he did not begin on the outside to make the house look good. He replied with a question of his own.
"Do you remember what I had to do 5 months ago to the bedroom just beyond that corner?"
He pointed up at the spare bedroom, which he had needed to completely rebuild from scratch. During his repair, he had needed to replace the walls, both on the inside and the outside, so now there appeared a rough sheet of weatherproofing material over plywood forming the outer wall.
"Yes," she responded, "there were several walls like that -- well, nearly all of them."
"If I had started on the outside, I would have ended up replacing these walls twice, as a repair on the outside would have simply been cosmetic, not functional. I always begin my work from the inside and move outward, that way I never have to replace anything twice, and I never work in vain."
Finally, he said he was ready to begin work on the outside of the house, and though it would be the easiest of the work, that it would require something of her. She agreed.
"Houses are always represented inside by what is outside - whatever is displayed for public viewing often reflects what there will be where it is private and not for public viewing. By allowing me to make this final repair, you will then be showing the repair I have made on the inside. And by allowing the change, you are publicly declaring the bargain you originally made with me - then everyone will know see and know. Are you willing to make this declaration?"
"Yes." said the girl, solid in her resolve.
"Very well."
And the man removed all the doors and windows, refinished and painted the entire house and installed all new doors and windows. It was complete, and the crowds were amazed to see what he had done in the home of the girl, and in awe at the work the man had done.
-------------------------------
"Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God." -Exodus 6:7a
"...the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." -2 Corinthians 5:17
