
Yesterday, I pursuaded my husband to help me rearrange the living room. Originally, I wanted to paint the walls, but with the price of oil rising daily, we decided that spending that much money on paint wasn’t a wise decision for this fall. But something in me itched for a change. So we moved the couches, piano, and shelves to new places. And behold: a new room. What is it about rearranging that makes you feel like you have a whole new space? Perhaps it’s because all the dust bunnies get cleaned up. Perhaps it’s because that which was familiar shines in a new light when shuffled around.
Apply this to the spriritual realm. Sometimes, it’s wise to rearrange our thoughts on who God is and who we are in God. Moving around the “furniture” can uncover new beauties. A couch that looked mundane against a wall looks “wow” when daringly pushed to a rakish angle. Do we dare to sort through our beliefs to uncover new gems in things that we take for granted? Do we ever consider the vast wonder of the statement “God is love” when we simply leave it on the back burner of our spiritual stove?
Rearranging also uncovers misplaced things shoved into couch cushions and stowed in dark corners under bookshelves. Do these things really belong? Rarely. Are they necessary parts of the couch and bookshelf? No, they are impurities. Do we have things in our beliefs that don’t really belong there? Have we let junk collect into our thoughts until they simply become so common place that we don’t even remember that they didn’t belong there in the first place. Maybe we need to shuffle our beliefs and examine each proposition in the light for that which is good and true.
It’s a risk to move things around. What if it doesn’t look quite right? What if you create such a mess moving everything around that you just give up and leave all the piles in the middle of the floor in a completely discombobulated pattern? I think it’s a necessary risk. Let us never become complacent in our beliefs. Let us never forget the wonder of the God who sent his Son. Let us ever be turning up rugs, searching behind dusty books, and pushing the furniture around the floorplan. I don’t ever want to be so familiar with my faith that I forget the awesomeness contained within.
What a great post! That’s one of the things I’m enjoying at seminary….having my furniture pushed around a little bit.
This is wonderful! What a terrific picture. For me I would say that part of my trouble was that I was told that it was wrong to move the furniture and that if I did I might do it wrong or make a mess that might even affect others. I was obviously uncomfortable in my furnished surroundings but became fearful. Somehow I don’t believe that we are to live life in fear. I believe my Father is big enough to handle the mess I might make. So, in faith, I am rearanging the furniture and in the process finding out how awesome my Father really is. Thanks, Hannah, for the wonderful post!
Nice post! Is that how you decorated your wall? 