The List and a Lesson

My husband and son were away on a mission trip to China and Nepal for 3 1/2 weeks which left me home alone.  Well not exactly alone I did have some company, two cats, a dog, a donkey and a horse.  And my daughter came home a couple of the weekends to keep me company and to get out of the big city of Hamilton, but for the most part it was very quiet here.

Knowing that my husband would be gone for a length of time and the house would be empty I made myself a list...the great to-do list...you know those big projects you never get to.  

Well now was my moment to accomplish some big things.  I think I went a little overboard with the list as there were eleven items on this list and I only fully completed six of them and partially finished two others. I guess that's not so bad, over 55% completion and with the partials I'd say 65% so I did pass ;-)  I finished some biggies and that was my main goal.  

One of the biggies was painting our bedroom and the upstairs hall. Which doesn't seem like a huge deal, just roll some paint on the walls and call it good.  Well the walls were accomplished no problem, I don't mind painting walls, that's the easy part.  It's the trim that was a big deal, especially since I was changing trim colour.  

When I saw the old trim paint colour up against our new wall colour I wondered why I'd ever picked that colour, it suddenly looked so dark and pukey in colour.  It took four coats to cover that putrid colour in the bedroom.  And as careful as I try to be, painting baseboard when you have carpet...that's a challenge...I do have a little added colour to our carpet in some areas ;-)  

I finally finished the trim and doors in our bedroom and then I was off to do the hall.  Now a hall is a small area but it's filled with doors, door jams and door casing...the trim seemed endless.  The trim in the hall looked white but it wasn't pure white, it was antique white and so since I'd changed trim colour in our bedroom I had to change trim colour in the hall.  At first I thought I'd just paint one side of the door, the hall side but then I decided to change the door knobs since the bathroom lock didn't work anymore.  And since I was going to replace the door knobs I pushed myself into painting both sides of all the doors.  My husband's voice in my head challenging me, "if you're going to do it, do it right." 

Here's some of our Facebook conversation while he was on the other side of the world:

Me: "I was going to get new door knobs for the doors since I'm repainting all the doors I thought that would be a good idea, the bathroom door knob is broken."

Husband: "If you think so."

Me: "Instead of washing the rest of the windows I think I'm just going to get them replaced since the seal is gone in them any way and instead of washing the kitchen floor I think I'll replace it too, same with the carpet since I dripped paint on it some."

Husband: "Can't stop you from this far away :-)"

Days later...

Husband: "How was your day?"

Me: "Full of paint and more paint and more paint and more paint."

Of course at one point he did remind me of how quick a professional painter can paint a house.  I'd been spending days, guess I'm slow ;-)

Another day I cracked.  I sat in the hall, paintbrush in hand, Lord of the Rings soundtrack playing, me bawling for half an hour as I painted telling myself how much of a messy painter I was until I finally packed it in.  That night when my husband asked how my day was I had this to say:

Me: "I had a tough afternoon with the painting and just feeling like it was never ending and I couldn't get the edges nice and so I bawled.  I'm over tired and over painted."

Of course he was sorry to hear that but I'm sure it also had something to do with missing my husband too. Later that night a friend dropped by and we had tea and talked...it was good.  That evening I had also bought a new edging paint brush, the Trylon Diamond Pro.  So the next day I would try out this new tool.  In talking to my son one day he reminded me that good tools make all the difference. I must say this one did :-)  Just the word "Pro" gave me confidence ;-)

The painting isn't perfect but it's finished.  I even painted the trim and walls inside the small hall closet, like who would ever notice if I didn't do that...me.  And hearing my husband's voice in my head once again, "if you're going to do it, do it right," so I did.

I was thinking about all the painting, my struggles and my annoyance in the fact that it took so many coats to cover the old paint and I was reminded that it's kind of a picture of life...of our transformation in Christ.  

We all have stuff to deal with, issues that hinder the full colour of who Christ calls us to be.  We're image bearers of a holy God, though we are marred it doesn't change the fact that we are created in His image.  The choice though is whether we choose to bear that image.  It takes surrender...work...dying to self.  Like changing my old trim colour, it took work and coat after coat or the old colour would show through, so it is with transformation.  One coat of paint would have been a dream, but that's all it was a dream, it needed four coats. I needed to work at it, I wasn't getting off easy with just one coat.  Just as in life there are some things that take time to transform and it seems you're always working on the same thing and it just won't change, its because the old is so ingrained...a deep colour and it keeps bleeding through but eventually you'll hit that point where the old is gone and the new has come and it's beautiful. I know, because I've been there.  And one day even those places that still seem to bleed through will be made new.  

Revelation 21:5 And He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."  Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

His "brush" is the true "Diamond Pro" and we are safe in letting Him be the painter in our lives.

Things to be thankful for:

2017. A walk on the boardwalk with my husband

2018. Rich deep blue water

2019. My husband and Matt headed on their adventure

2020. Beautiful spring sun shiny day

2021. The smell of sheets off the clothes line

2022. Strawberry sundae

2023. My husband, son and the others have arrived safely in Shanghai

2024. Knitting and tea

2025. Encouragement

2026. Marriage - a reflection of Christ and the church

2027. My church community

2028. Murphy and Bandit waiting for me at the top of the stairs when I came home

2029. Video skype call from my husband

2030. Encouragement from a brother in Christ

2031. Sunshine after the rain

2032. Message of encouragement

2033. Charissa home for the weekend to keep me company

   

Winter coat shedding time.

2034. Morning visit with Sarah

2035. Muddy paths, floating board walk and puddles

2036. Laughter with Charissa

2037. Warm sunshine on our faces

2038. Movie night with Charissa

2039. Surprise visit to the Great Wall of China for my husband and Matt

2040. The children in the toddlers room at church

2041. Memories

2042. Chat with my husband

2043. Beautiful covering of snow

Can you believe it Daytona, it snowed again...but it is beautiful.

2044. Skype video call from my husband - good to see him and hear his voice

2045. Call from Jocelyne and Lauren & Keira - hearing their little voices

2046. A chat with Will

2047. Good to hear my husband's voice again

2048. Facebook chat with Matt

2049. Crisp air, warm sunshine on my walk

2050. Video skype call from my husband, smiling faces and hellos from some Chinese children 

2051. Delicious dinner with friends

2052. Tea, good conversation and prayer

2053. Sent home with leftovers :-)

2054. My husband and son safe in Nepal

2055. Our marriage ministry group

2056. Arizona album finished

2057. Sunshine through my window

2058. A big job accomplished

2059. A game of cards with mom and dad

2060. Skype chat with my husband

2061. Chat with Jocelyne

2062. Sunshine and blue skies

2063. Chat with my husband - stories from Nepal shared

2064. Morning bird songs

2065. Pictures shared by Matt from Nepal

My son sent me this picture one day while I was chatting with him on Facebook, they'd had a magnitude 4.5 aftershock and everyone had to evacuate the buildings they were in.

2066. Refreshing Sunday afternoon walk with a friend

2067. Video skype call with Charissa

2068. The Father's Heart

2069. Early morning cooing of the mourning dove through my open window

2070. Chat with Will

2071. Technology - contact with my husband on the other side of the world

2072. Seeing his smile, hearing his voice

2073. Morning sunshine

2074. Beautiful cloud filled sky

2075. Dinner with some church folk

2076. Chatting with my husband

2077. Morning sunshine sparkling on the frost

2078. Closer to getting my painting finished

2079. Will got a new job

2080. Robin's song in the morning

2081. Morning frost sparkling like jewels in the sunlight

2082. Video skype with my husband

2083. Warmth of the sun on my back as I hang laundry

2084. Laying on the deck in the warm sun with Murphy

2085. God uses conflict to bring life

2086. Gorgeous spring day

2087. Charissa home for the weekend to keep me company

2088. Reid's Dairy strawberry sundae

2089. Enjoying the sunshine

2090. Delicious pasta dish made by Charissa

2091. Chores and a visit with Lily

2092. Kayla popping in for a visit

2093. My husband and Matt feeling somewhat better after a having a stomach bug

2094. Frink Centre walk on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon

2095. Bees, an amazing little creature, watching an apiarist open her hives

2096. A boy singing a worship song as he walks down the lane

2097. Another day of sunshine

2098. Hearing my husband's voice

2099. Dad fertilized the pastures for me

2100. Chat with my husband

2101. More beautiful pictures from Nepal taken by Matt

2102. Skype call with Will and Amy

2103. Beautiful sunshine

2104. Morning bird songs

2105. A friend popped by for an evening tea

2106. Friendship

2107. My husband and son are heading home

2108. Lunch outside in the sunshine

2109. Safe flights

2110. Breakfast and pedicures with a friend

2111. Skype call with my husband while he waits in Shanghai for his next flight

2112. Charissa home

2113. Painting is finished

2114. Early morning walk with Charissa

2115. Charissa driving to the airport

2116. My husband and Matt home safe

2117. Seeing my husband after him being away for 3 1/2 weeks

2118. Celebrating my mom's birthday

2119. The rain