{jcomments on}Fixer Upper is my favorite show on HGTV, and apparently I’m not alone. The ratings for the show continue to improve, and last month they became the top rated program for the cable network. Chip and Joanna Gaines live in Waco, Texas, and renovate homes for a lot of lucky people. Jim and I both enjoy watching the Gaineses at work. We also enjoy watching their Christian witness at work as well.
Every episode has an emphasis on the importance of their family and the importance of their faith. They are not preachy, but that fact makes their “sermons” even better. Chip and Joanna work hard and have a good time working together. They are kind to the people they work for and kind to the people that work for them. Their lives are the sermon that thousands of people are tuning into each week.
The Gaineses, during a recent interview by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, said, “Our family has made a commitment to put Christ first, a lifestyle our parents modeled for us very well. They showed us how to keep our marriage and family centered around God. As for Fixer Upper, we have been surprised at the impact of our faith through the show. We haven’t been overtly evangelical, but the rich feedback we have received on family and love all source from our faith. Jesus said the world would know His disciples by their love for one another, and we’ve glimpsed this in practice and strive for it every day.”
The light of Christ is shining brighter these days. The darker the culture grows, the more obvious each Christian witness can shine. Jesus said, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). It is encouraging to watch a show that displays family values, kindness, decency, and the choice to live life with higher standards.
All of us have the chance to preach sermons with our lives. We can be the drivers that allow others the better parking places or the chance to enter the freeway in front of us. All of us can treat those that serve us with kindness, just as we hope they will serve us kindly as well. We can hold the doors for others, smile at the one who looks frustrated, and react with compassion instead of self-righteousness. Pray for the chance to let them know that your character is shaped and controlled by the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God.
In this Easter season many people wish they believed in the resurrection of Christ. They know the story, they have seen the movies—but they have never accepted the Bible as truth. They want to have faith, and our lives can be an example.
Chip and Joanna Gaines rarely decorate a house that does not have a Bible verse displayed somewhere. Most of their clients, vendors, and friends are Christians and those genuine relationships are important to the success of the show. Christians have so many blessings that we take for granted. We can share the joy of the Christian life when we live with the joy of Christ.
This Easter, let’s follow the excellent example of Chip and Joanna Gaines and preach our sermons with the lives we live. Hopefully, the people who listen to our sermon will be open to listening to our preacher’s sermon on Easter Sunday. Say a prayer for your day and look for the opportunities to preach Jesus with your life.
All of our lives could use a little remodeling. Ask God which areas of your witness could use some touching up or even a major renovation. After all, God is our supreme Fixer Upper!
Join us at www.christianparenting.org and chime in on this week’s discussion question: How do you talk to your kids about the graphic parts of the Easter story?