Oh and the Duggars, and sin, and our Lord Jesus Christ!
Since we are moving I have a renewed motivation to decorate which since we are being frugal still means repurposing the old so it is "like" new!
The new house is a red brick and has black shutters with a porch so narrow that I have decided surely I can squeeze a couple of rockers on there if I slant them a little diagonally. (I have a deep love for porches and rocking chairs as I am from Louisiana).
Luckily, I had two old white dingy rockers from when we lived in the cabin stored in the garage that were ready to paint black. I got my supplies, my paint, and started my painting. I also decided that I would take M's hideous black desk that does not match her room and paint it a mint green to match her room. And as Annie Sloan says if I use chalk paint I can paint it without any prep work! Unfortunately, I chose the cheaper off brand of chalk paint from Lowes....but more on that later.
Have you ever painted a white rocker black?? The kids and I sanded it and wiped it down. Then I began painting it. Meanwhile Mary began painting her desk. At first it looked a lot like this...
Doesn't that look sweet! A summer activity. But soon there was paint everywhere, I was vowing to never let them paint again, and I was a basket case and kicked the kids out to shower while I painted in peace. And then the finished results!
Then this morning I came outside to put another coat on the rocking chairs. We will discuss the mint chalk painted desk later. The reason I ask, Have you painted a rocking chair, is because there are a lot of slats and slits and round curvy edges....it's a task. As I was on the phone with my mom last night after two coats, she said, "Oh! You should have spray painted it!" In hindsight I would have to agree. Anyhoo! This morning as I am touching up the rocker that has two coats of black on it, I keep finding white spots here and there. As a matter of fact every time I change my angle or perspective I find places that I have missed. Even after the 5th coat! If I got low I would gasp at a whole area I completely left off. And you know me....that made me start pondering my life. Isn't there always an area we can improve upon? Make better? No matter how many coats of shiny outdoor black paint, aren't there always the unfinished white spots?
I guess this is so true for me, and I know that so well that this is why I am against Christian judgmental notions.....altogether. Which brings me to the Duggars.
I have no comment. I feel it is none of my business. I feel badly that the nation thought they were perfect. To be a Christian and to be seen as self righteous and perfect is the worst thing that can happen to a Christian. Because the moment our sins are exposed non believers and believers think it was a lie-all of it. Even Christ. But that's not it at all. Christ loves us sins and all.
The main prayer I have for my own spiritual life is that I will never feel self righteous enough that I walk around playing God and judging others for their sins. It reminds me of John 8 when the woman was brought before Jesus to be stoned. Jesus knelt and wrote in the sand and slowly all dropped their stones one by one and left. Was he writing the accusers' sins? We don't know.
If our sins were blasted for all to see would we be focussing on others'?
We are all human. We are all sinners. We all have a past or issues. The world is full of abuse, addictions, depression, and hurtful sins. The best part of that story is that God loves us anyway through it all, and we don't have to be self righteous..... no deed or long list of rules will make us righteous. I suppose this is why I'm not against a lot of things. I don't care what church you go to if any at all. I don't care what bathing suit you wear. I'm not going to proclaim you are mentally ill if you take a selfie (that's so ridiculous) I'm not against a "certain" group of people. Jesus was ALL about loving others. Christians now a days would gasp at who He associated with. No action you do or don't do can make you righteous enough to save yourself.
But only through Jesus Christ-
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son. Who so ever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!
We are at the mercy and grace of Jesus. We cannot make ourselves whole or new. But He can. There will always be a need for another high glossy coat of paint. We will never be finished. Yet He loves us anyway and saves us anyway.
Back to the rocking chair and the desk. So the rockers turned out great. But I am not like the rocking chair at all- I am certainly more like this desk than the rocker figuratively because despite my efforts... the lovely Mint green desk looked like this this morning-
A total and complete mess!!
Apparently, the decision not to sand, or to paint on a rainy day, or to let it dry in a humid closed garage wasn't the best idea! And apparently I'm not the do it yourselfer I would love to be! But I know that won't stop me.
Here's to NOT being perfect and God loving us anyway. That's the REAL story of Jesus! Ps. It's the real story of marriage as well! It's not happily ever after. It's loving each other through a whole lot of faults and hard times and hoping for some good ones in between.
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