TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Old Things Renewed and Transformations

It's me...have you missed me? I have been getting a transformation.

NO!! Not a face lift of tummy tuck or...well, any sort of major OUTward overhaul....although I could use some of all of the above.

The kind of transformation I have been undergoing has been one inside my soul. Kind of like
this dresser. It was one my father-in-law built when he was a much younger man. It has been moved around alot and seen many shades of
paint and stain over the years. As you can tell...it is missing some hardware and what was left had seen better days.

Even though the dresser is quite old it is still in great shape. It has great 'bones" if you will. However, it was just time for an overhaul.

As you can see...I sanded and smoothed away the brown...took off the old hardware, and gave
it a fresh coat of paint and new knobs.

I rather like how is turned out. And I am using it in Matthew's room.

I am alot like this dresser. And working on things gives my mind time to relax and to just "be" instead of thinking about "doing" the next thing.

As I was sanding and smoothing the old finish away, thinking about the craftsmanship of this piece, it occurred to me that while the style may
be "outdated" and the finish in need of "uplifting" it has a solid structure and is crafted by hands that still care about the ones who put this
piece of furniture to use....beloved Grand-daddy, who now has Parkinson's Disease and is unable to do all that he would probably like to do
in order to express his love to his children and grandchildren...
Just like us...our Father in heaven has handcrafted each of us to serve our a purpose in the lives of those we encounter. As we progress in
our service to the Father, we will sometimes come to need some sanding and smoothing and freshening up...in order to remain relevant in
the season we are in. In our lives, the sanding and smoothing process is not necessarily fun or easy...but, well, necessary.

As I contemplated these thoughts while refinishing this piece of furniture, I realized that if I will just relax and allow my Father to smooth away
the "surface" of my life...getting down to the real craftsmanship He has lovingly created me to be, He will then re-create me to be useful for
the purposes He has for me NOW. And IF I will just co-operate and allow His creative eye to look past what is into what will be for me...I will
indeed become someone "Renewed" and "Transformed" by His Love...and the blessings that come with it...well...let's just call that the
"BLING"!