“Charlie, you can use this book in the Coloring Room,” my middle son said to my youngest about his new Pokémon coloring book he received for his birthday.
“Coloring Room?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s where all of our desks are.” He responded. Of course I knew what he was talking about. I had just finished rearranging the new open bedroom space (now that they are all sharing one room) so each of the boys had a tidy desk space and storage for their utensils and paper. I just hadn’t considered calling it the “Coloring Room”.
It is not unusual for me after finishing a project to debrief, clean up, rest for a day, and then jump right into another. They are not all the same (I prefer to change it up) but I can’t seem to stop.
I write regularly and have at least one of those projects in the wings. I like to refinish furniture and even dream up new things to build (I currently have at least 3-4 of these in my own home I’d like to do), I rearrange rooms regularly, (I had to fight to sit down and write first before working on one of these), I have digital family memory projects on the list, and usually there is something I’m committing to with the church or school that uses this creativity. As a good friend said after showing her one of these, “You always have a project.”
To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about that before. But it’s become clearer recently as my boys have moved beyond the really young years of childhood, that I am rarely without some undertaking or plan to improve space, function, or perspective.
Perspective. It is defined as a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something. It’s a point of view. In this world where there are lots of points of view it can be extremely overwhelming to navigate. Sometimes I feel like a spy who approaches a bunch of laser lines protecting a treasure piece, ready to alarm if you cross them. Most of the time, I would just rather turn around and go back home. No thank you. That’s too many points of view and I’m not trained enough to get through that.
But there is that treasure. There’s something important enough to get to on the other side. I have to decide that whatever it is, is worth the risk of attempting to work through the lasers.
Perspective though. It hits me again. As I sit in my home and look at my living room I think, “this chair might work better over on this side of the room. The couch can be moved in front of the window and if I shift everything to the left THEN…”
…”the kids have more play space for their toys.”
…”we can better watch movies together.”
…”it’s more open to move between our kitchen and living for having people over.”
Pick the ending, but the reason I move and change things has a greater good at the end of it. I work at the plan until I’ve achieved what I was looking for. I never publish a blog until my point is clear to me. If it’s muddled and uncertain, it stays in the drafts waiting for the right type of lightbulb. I try to start projects when I know I have the time to work and finish them. Some take weeks or months but others can be done in days. And once the vision comes, watch out, I start to get antsy if I don’t get to work on it soon.
I believe that this brainwork of creativity in my own home and life is like training exercises for whatever comes next. Maybe you aren’t doing this in the creative realm, but all of us have some sort of improvement plan going on in our lives. Be it work, family, play, world or self, we want things to be better.
I believe God uses these things to help move and shift our point of view.
As we dream and visualize he teaches us how to to hope.
As we discuss the plans with others he teaches us about compromise and flexibility.
As we prepare to start he teaches us the importance of building foundations.
When we finally jump in to work he teaches us how to enjoy the moment.
When we screw up or hit a hard spot he teaches us patience, humbleness and forgiveness.
When it takes longer than we thought he is teaching us endurance.
Finally, when we are crossing that last laser it can end with success or perhaps, not the way we thought. The alarms are sounding. What do we learn from that? That it was all a waste?
Honestly, as I wrote about in another blog, God doesn’t waste things. So something is learned here either way. If I was successful and it turned out well then I learn gratefulness. I could pat myself on the back and also feel pride, but pride focuses on me and what I was able to do. When we see the reality of God behind all of our days and nights, abilities, gifts of work, home and food, I’m just thankful I got to be part of his working, life-giving plan. It’s not me, it’s him.
And what about when it falls apart? What happens when the paint on bookshelves isn’t sticking like it should? What happens when we don’t raise enough funds? What happens when people are angry at me for the changes I made? What happens when all was working well and then I fell back into my bad habits? Was it not successful?
Maybe not in my nearsighted vision. But even failure has a measure of success. We learn about control or our lack thereof. We find that this new way may need a different set of guidelines. Or maybe it just needs another year of time. We realize this was not a finish line but a readjusted starting line. Failure often teaches us what success cannot. If we surrender the frustration and pride of all that was lost at Jesus feet and then follow with faith in the next steps, it is likely a new perspective will come to play and new work will begin again.
You know what else? All those lasers, are no longer so scary. I have learned how to navigate life in ways I never knew I could. But I had to act. I had to follow. I couldn’t stop after dreaming. I realized that Jesus shifted some of those points of view in the process. He molds me. He molds others. The projects and plans I have are often part of something bigger. I blink back tears because I am part of something I can’t even understand. The whole of this plan, that I cannot see, is beautiful. I know because the the nature of the one who leads me is perfect and beautiful.
Go work your plan, your project, your calling to make things better. But do it with humble thanks and praise. Because the Lord of the Universe is using you for HIS good and perfect plan.
Now that’s perspective!