Let’s Renovate! – You Are What You Think

My husband Ceaser and I were first introduced to The Block Australia in 2020. If you don’t know, The Block is a reality TV series that is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Each season, teams of two take on the challenge of transforming dilapidated properties into stunning, high-end homes within a tight timeframe and budget. The show combines high-stakes competition with incredible design inspiration, and this blend keeps us coming back season after season. Each contestant’s goal is to sell their renovated home at auction by the end of the series. The team that makes the most profit from their sale, wins the block and an additional 100,000 Australian Dollars is added to their winnings. Yes, they get to keep the profit. Yes, many have made huge sums of money, and yes, others have gone away with nothing after thirteen weeks of hard work. It’s that risk that keeps us on the edge of our seats during the auction episode as we shout at the screen willing for our favourites to make a killing.

There is something magical about watching plain, uninspiring spaces transform into beautiful, functional homes. Among all the renovation shows we’ve watched; The Block Australia stands out as our absolute favourite. Binge-watching new episodes, discussing the contestants’ progress, critiquing their choices, and imagining how we would tackle the same challenges is the best! While we might not have the same level of expertise as the contestants, we’ve discovered that renovation is as much about learning and experimenting as it is about skill. The show has demystified many aspects of the process for us. One of the most significant lessons we’ve learned from The Block is the importance of teamwork. The show highlights the dynamics between partners under pressure, and we’ve seen firsthand how effective communication and collaboration can make or break a project. Ceaser and I have certainly become better at working together over the years, understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and dividing tasks based on our individual skills in all the work we do together. Beyond the practical skills and creative ideas, The Block has taught us about resilience and perseverance. Renovation projects are rarely smooth sailing; they come with their fair share of setbacks and challenges. Watching the contestants navigate unexpected problems, tight deadlines, and intense competition has shown us the importance of staying focused and maintaining a positive attitude often teasing each other with the show’s catchphrase… “That’s the Block.”

The Block Australia has become more than just a TV show for us, it’s a source of inspiration, motivation and laughs. It has sparked our creativity as a couple and has stretched our thoughts and dreams for our one-day forever home.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ~ Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes. ~ Romans 12:2 (TPT)

I never set out to be an interior designer. My journey into this world of colour palettes, textures, and spatial harmony wasn’t a meticulously planned career move. In fact, it was far from it. Yet, looking back, I can see how God has masterfully and intentionally called me to this craft, using it to fill me with joy and purpose. What began as a hobby soon blossomed into a passion. Friends and family took notice, seeking my advice and help with their own spaces. Before I knew it, strangers were trusting me with their homes. While a creative challenge, each project became a reminder of the higher calling to renew our minds and transform our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Interior design, to me, is a tangible expression of this spiritual renewal. Just as we strive to create beautiful, functional spaces in our homes, we are called to cultivate a Christ-centered mindset, reshaping our thoughts and attitudes to align with God’s will. This unexpected career has taught me that God often uses the unexpected to fulfil His purposes in our lives, filling us with joy and reminding us of our call to be ever-transforming followers of Jesus. As such, what must we constantly check as we keep reforming how we think? I have a few thoughts to share with you as I’ve related home renovation to mind renovation.

Check your capacity

Your capacity is your ability to receive and steward what God has for you. Your capacity is a great place to look when you want to take inventory of how your thought life may be affecting your progression on the path God has for you. Why? Because your capacity is a reflection of your thoughts. Capacity is different from potential in that potential is what could be and capacity is potential that has already been tapped into. Our capacity grows when we think and believe we have potential and that potential is worth exploring. Our capacity also grows when what we think and believe about God grows. What we think God can do in our lives is shaped by past experiences, our own or those of others close to us. These experiences build our faith, however, they have a downside to them… They can limit how we think and believe about what God can do. God wants us to experience Him in new and fresh ways, but if we are too stuck in the box of our past encounters with Him, we stunt the growth of our capacity. What are your capacity levels? Are they where you want them to be? Are they where you believe they ought to be? If we’re being honest, all of us should answer no, to this question. That honest answer is your starting point to growing capacity.

When I think of total reformation I think of the renovation of a room or building. As an interior designer, my goal in many spaces is total reformation. What I’ve realised in this line of work is that the goal is always un upgrade. A big house is never renovated into a small house and an old room is never renovated into a room that looks more dated. No, it’s always an upgrade. Many of us are praying for things, big things, that seem delayed when in reality we have too many limitations in our thinking and there just isn’t any room for those miracles to live. My encouragement to you is to take a long hard look at your mind. Access which walls need to come down, where you may need to put in some new windows to let more light and air in. Shift the furniture around, and trash some things that no longer serve you or the person you are becoming. Allow the Holy Spirit to help you bring total transformation to how you think and when He starts to do His work, don’t try to hold on to how things used to look, give Him room to work and yield to His instructions.

Check your willingness to take risks and to be vulnerable

I’ve said this before, “Thinking big and dreaming big is risky business.” For me, vulnerability is dreaming something so big that I’d be utterly embarrassed if it failed. Jesus help! God’s dreams for us demand us to take risks and open ourselves to Him. God didn’t bring you this far for you to stay small or play it safe. He has more for you! You were born for big things! Before we believed in Jesus we were small and thought small, our thought patterns are one of the things He wants to transform now that He is Lord over your life… Let’s let Him. God wired us for big things, big thoughts, big dreams and big expectations.

After recently reading Dr. Anita Philipps’s Book, “The Garden Within.” I see how thoughts are indeed a seed in the ground of our hearts. Because of this, I am drawn to 2 Corinthians 9:6. Yes, this passage is speaking about giving but I believe it can be applied here too. It reads: “Remember this, a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.” What thought seeds are you planting friend? If you think of yourself as small, insignificant, inadequate, unable to amount to much, you will reap those things. Think of yourself as the beloved of God, more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus, growing in Christ and being transformed from one level of glory to the next. Maintaining this posture is risky though. What will people say when we come out so strongly as one thing but things in our lives keep failing? I have Psalm 23:3 printed, laminated and stuck on my fridge. It’s my daily reminder that when I step out in obedience, even if I misstep, He will guide me for His name’s sake. It’s not your name at stake but His. Acknowledge Him, seek His direction, trust His nudges, take risks, dare to be vulnerable and see if He won’t cover you for His name’s sake. I am yet to see a day when He doesn’t.

Check your comfort levels

Whenever we have a new client, no matter what their age, they always have some level of comfort they are unwilling to leave regarding transforming their home. It may be their aversion to bold colours or an old but sentimental piece of furniture or art. I get it, I’m the same way too. For this reason, we try our best to work with key art or furniture pieces that anchor the room, determine our colour palettes around these and give the client some level of comfort they can maintain. Sometimes we give old pieces new life by changing the fabric, sanding and re-staining wooden pieces or moving pieces from one room to another. We do, however, crack the whip with items we are too nice to say are ugly. Funny enough, we are similar when it comes to renovation work the Holy Spirit wants to do in our minds. We cling too tightly to things that are keeping us from experiencing the beauty of the new space He is trying to create for our pleasure. What do I mean? Always suspect your thinking is too small because the truth is that it is, compared to the thoughts God has for you, that is.

I was talking to the Lord about something close to my heart recently and I kept asking why He hadn’t moved in the way I know He can. His response came from Isaiah 43, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” When God moves on our behalf that miracle becomes our new normal and we must discipline ourselves to dare to trust Him for new and bigger things. You see our minds love parameters, absolutes and reason, but God is bigger than all that. Don’t let your new normal way of thinking, or way of life, stand in conflict with the new things God wants to do in your life. The other thing about comfort level is that it calls us back. No matter how far we allow the Holy Spirit to stretch us, we are always at risk of digressing back to our comfort level. In the same way that muscle can be lost if one stops working out, our transformed ways of thinking can shrink back if we don’t continue to pursue more transformation in God. It could be old habits, old hobbies, old friends, past accomplishments or past miracles. Whatever it is, ask the Lord what you keep running back to for comfort and how it’s holding you back from living fully in Him.

Check your MO

One of my favourite TV shows is Criminal Minds and so you better believe that any time I have the chance to use the term, “Modus Operandi,” I’m going to take it! Modus Operandi refers to the particular way or method you do something. Most of us have a particular way of making our beds or making our tea. Even the way we brush our teeth is done in a specific way that has become so ingrained in us that we do it without thinking. What is your modus operandi when you feel the uneasiness God uses to let you know it’s time for more? We were created in the image of our Heavenly Father, meaning that the desire to go after the things He has for us was carefully hidden within us for God to use to steer us through life. This instinct, if I may call it, is a gift from God that must be stewarded well. The more we yield to God, the sharper the instinct becomes and the more we ignore it, the duller it becomes. Your modus operandi will either unlock what God has for you or keep you in your comfort zone, safely away from risk, vulnerability or more responsibility. How do you respond to that call to purpose? Don’t ignore that call. It’s God’s failsafe to ensure you are unsettled and dissatisfied with small, drawing you to Him for renovation of your mind. This is why I value the imagination of children, it’s that unadulterated call to think up the impossible. When was the last time you allowed yourself to daydream of what you’ve never seen?

Let’s not get so comfortable with what God has done and shown in the past that we refuse to make space for what He wants to do now. No matter where you are or who you are, God has endless possibilities for you and all of them are good. Ask God to open and stretch your mind if you’ve been feeling stuck. I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit meets you in the boardroom of your mind and that you can allow Him to show you more. He always has more for you. If you don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord, the start to these amazing things is a mind-blowing, life-changing relationship with Him. Humble yourself and let Him move. Determine to yield yourself to the amazing things He wants to show you.