My favorite show, Fixer Upper, aired its last episode of the season last Tuesday. So here it is a week later and I’m wallowing in there-is-nothing-on-TV blues. I know it’s pathetic when a TV show is the highlight of your day, but knowing the mega following of the show, I guess I’m not so pathetic after all.

I’m not sure of my addiction to these remodel shows. I think maybe it’s the idea of taking something ugly, abandoned, or passed-by and swooping in to save it. The master carpenter and designer redeem the home to its former glory so it is beautiful again. People now stop to admire and even desire it for themselves.

But what if instead of a house, YOU and I were the ultimate fixer upper–the one needing  a total transformation? I tried to think what mess a person might be in to audition for one these shows. Here’s my stab at this idea:

Flip or Flop – She’s had one BIG sin that can’t be hidden and everyone knows it. Like the stars of this show, it’s been splashed on the magazine covers and on social media, the new scarlet letter that’s forever. She can’t forgive herself and neither can others.

Love it or List it – Maybe she’s the wife who’s been married for 20 plus years and her husband left her for a newer, younger version. Perhaps the guy she’s been dating for a year decided to go back to the dating scene leaving her devastated and wondering what’s wrong with her. Maybe no one has ever shown interest in her, and she’s not even considered for “Love it.”

Rehab Addict – This guy is addicted but to all the wrong things. Maybe it’s the pornography, the bottle of prescription drugs, the next best thing, or the extra-large bag of M&Ms® at his desk. The obsessive tendency towards destruction behavior was started to fill a void but now it’s an out-of-control, vicious cycle.

This Old House – The younger generation considers him irrelevant and out of touch. He may be burned out from his job and looking to ease into retirement. Perhaps he had dreams but tossed them aside years ago. Maybe he doesn’t think he needs improvement, or he’s given up trying after all these years.

Looking back, there are moments in my life where I would have qualified to appear in an  episode or more of these “shows.”  If you’re still reading this, you must have seen glimpses of yourself or know someone who fits the profile.

The truth is that Jesus is the one who can perform the transformation we are trying so hard to do on our own. He takes all the junk: the old habits, telecast sins, lost loves and washed-up dreams and says, “Come to Me.” He then does His inside work, cleansing us from our sins, placing His Holy Spirit in us, and making us into a new creation where the old is gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What was once marred becomes beautiful. The one tossed aside becomes the beloved. The one whose sin was published is forgiven. The washed up becomes fruitful. The addict meets the Great Obsession.

You’re not going to see this transformation in a one-hour segment, but when you follow Jesus, you will change. He promises it.

Friend, there is no lovelier transformation than the one Jesus performs in a person who chooses to follow Him.

For more information on how to follow Jesus, subscript to this blog, and I’ll send you the 1-page document “4 Ways to Grow In Christ.”