I bought a new photo app for my phone the other day for 99 cents. While playing around with Nofinder (just pushing buttons, in other words) this photo was the fourth one I took.
I was shocked. It was really just a shot from the back deck here at Apple Hill. None of the others looked like this at all, and I have no idea what I did or how it came out like this. It is totally random, and I’ll probably never be able to recreate the effect, but I love it! It’s messy; it’s beautiful; and it reminds me of a favorite quote from Madeleine L’Engle:
Inspiration usually comes during work, not before it.”
- That is, don’t wait — just plunge right in;
- that is, keep working — it will come;
- that is, while you’re working — don’t forget to say thank you to the Creator who created you to create.
I’ve been thinking about beauty lately because the photos on my recent blog posts have not been beautiful. Yet there is a beauty in messes that only the person close to it, the creator, can see. We know what the mess is going to turn into… Ever made a cake? Flour, eggshells, sugar spilled all over the counter, dirty cups and measuring spoons all over? Yet the end result is a delicious dessert.
We’re moving everything out of the kitchen to get ready to lay the floor. I don’t even see this mess because I know it’s just a temporary inconvenience; but if anyone came to visit, they might think we’re applying to be on “Hoarders.” And, really, the entire cottage looks like this right now. There are no “Beautiful Photos” because there just aren’t any. And yet…
This coil of wire is probably not beautiful to you. But I look at that gorgeous roll of BX cable, and I see new wiring in a wonderfully rehabilitated, once dilapidated, old cottage. I see the cost of it, the hands that labored over it, and what it is replacing — old jumbled up, mouse-chewed, taped-together wires. Now see again with new eyes — Isn’t that a fantastic coil of shiny cable? And just look at this new installation…
What a metaphor for everyday life, for God. Our creator knows and loves us regardless of the mess we are now, because he knows what we will be later: a perfectly created work of art; a delicious dessert; a beautiful house, perfectly wired.
I hope that thought gives you the hope that it gives me…
the circle of life 
I can totally appreciate the beauty in the mess! I always keep my ‘eye on the prize’ during any renovation because the end result is totally worth the mess and stress. And besides, no mess means no renovation means no updates!
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Yes, I’m trying to not be stressed or obsessed with the mess! ;-)
Some days are easier than others…
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Wow! This is quite a project you have going here! I admire your tenacity to see it through to completion! I like to change things (once in awhile), but I’m not very good at going through the process. It stresses, and obsesses me way too much! :)
Thank you for stopping by my blog, and for joining me on my journey! I consider it an honor to have you follow along, and I’m looking forward to seeing your cottage restored!
Have a wonderful day and week!
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And thank you as well! I love the sub-title of your blog — Healed through the tears. Blessings on your week.
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This is a good reminder to stop and enjoy my messy, crazy, busy, life! Thanks for sharing the quote. It is so true! I’m a planner at heart but the best things have come to me when I just dive right in!
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Yes. That’s so true. I can quote the Bible about plans, but I can also quote John Lennon: Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.
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This was SO encouraging tonight! Thanks for sharing. There is so much beauty in the mess, but some days it’s hard to see it. I know I get a narrow focus and lose sight of the finished product. So, tonight, I’m jumping into my mess and beginning the work to make something beautiful. Thank you for sharing this, and I do love that first photo!
~FringeGirl
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I’m glad this could encourage you. Frankly, the cottage is such a disaster right now, I had to figure out a way not to go crazy with it. So I just kept repeating, this is only temporary. This is only temporary. And it reminded me of life. So much of rehabbing a house is a metaphor for life, it’s amazing to me. Thanks for liking it!
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