Painting

Pop and I spent most of the day (and some of the night) Friday painting the living room of the new home. We chose the same mocha color we had used for the living room in Florida. We find it a soothing, relaxing color that really sets off the artwork well. We didn't know if it would be too dark here, but find there is actually more light in our Maryland living room than in the Florida house. The white molding at the ceilings and around the windows and door makes a nice contrast, too.

At some point in the afternoon I noticed my right hand was beginning to cramp, but I didn't feel tired and I had been painting at a steady rate with no interruptions!! , when I began to ask myself "Why do we paint, anyway?" Certainly there is reason to finish the interior walls of any home to offer security and insulation from heat and cold. A finish coat of paint to protect the surface of the walls from grease and dirt makes sense. But why had we chosen to devote an entire day, with all the aches and pains of painting in our dotage, to recoat walls that were in generally fine condition? Were we justified in our investment of time, energy and financial resources?

A home is a small world of safety and comfort. The family is blessed by surroundings that calm. Looking at the world God designed we see He selected colors that relax, sooth and calm. The greens and browns of the landscape are easy on our eyes. What a relief that the sky is ordinarily blue and not a shocking shade of red. And yet, there are remarkable accents in the world around us, too. I saw the flash of a goldfinch in the yard yesterday. The first daffodils and tulips of the Spring overwhelm us with their beauty. God could have limited Himself to a contrast of blacks and whites but instead chose to use an extensive palate to decorate the world.

Not everyone is going to choose "dull brown", as we have done. Some will be content with their favorite shade of white. Others will be bold enough for orange or purple walls. But color is one tool we have been granted by the Creator to re-create, on a small scale, the world He has entrusted to us.