I am not good in transitions.
I am good at thinking of the past.
Dreaming of the future.
But the here and now, in the messy -- where things are hard and not perfect and there's a lot of waiting and working -- that is hard.
I am learning this in a tangible way with my house. If you've been around the blog at all (or follow me on instagram) you may know that the husband and I are painting our house. Painting the exterior of a house is nothing like painting a room. You have to scrape paint off, sand and prime and then paint. It is a process that we are stretching out over several weekends. So in between those weekends, we are living in the in-between-- the transition where our house is half-painted, half-scraped and absolutely ridiculous looking.
I joke with my neighbors that we ought to park our car on the grass or stick a toilet on our porch for good measure; our house looks that bad. But the thing is, it's fine that our house is looking pretty sorry right now because it's in transition. At some point it will look beautiful-- a deep charcoal gray with off-white trim and a burnt red-orange door. Right now, it's not there yet and that's okay.
This sense of being okay with transition-- the mess, the peeling paint-- I need to apply it to my own life. I need to be okay with the fact that I have not "arrived." I do not have it all, or frankly, anything figured out. I'm not sure what my future is-- I have some big dreams that I'm working through, but in the meantime, I'm in transition, waiting for the right time, and that's perfectly fine.
happy friday friends.
xo, erika
wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. psalm 27:14
linking up with Casey!
A well-timed message for me...thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is so hard to do...
ReplyDeleteChristen
http://christenlouise.blogspot.com
If it makes you feel any better, our car was parked in our yard while we painted our house, and our garage only has a tiny bit of siding put up so far and that'll need to be painted after that.. sooooo, you know. It's a process. :)
ReplyDeleteJust what I needed to hear this morning! Thank you for sharing your heart. It's a good reminder that in the transition times in our lives, there IS something beautiful at the end. And the in-between, while it might be hard, and what feels like the longest period of time ever, also holds some beauty too. You put me into perspective this morning! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAmen!! That in-between stage is so hard to get through sometimes that an end doesn't even seem possible! I can't wait to see your house all finished up! I'm sure it's going to be beautiful and will make this in-between stage completely worth it! We're cleaning out our garage this weekend (which is overflowing with junk) and I'm really looking forward to getting rid of/donating things so they can go on to new homes! Here is to the in-between stages!! *clink* (you know...if we were at a coffee house this is the point where we would clink mugs in a salute to the in-between stage...) :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great reminder! I have the hardest time with this. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIncredibly relevant words. This applies to every aspect of my life right now! Amazing that most people feel this way at some time or another, inspiring and much less scary to know that there is company in this.
ReplyDeleteLovely blog by the way, I stop by often!
Gemma
fadedwindmills.blogspot.co.uk
i agree, this is so hard. i definitely need to apply this to my life.
ReplyDeleteK
Uhhhh hate transition as well, but seriously looking forward to the after pics of your house!:)
ReplyDeleteThat's how our deck has been looking and we FINALLY stained it. Believe me, it'll be worth the wait!
ReplyDeletebeautifully said...this struck a cord with my heart. I am the same I think, not good in the transition, those times may be hard but the lessons are so so worth it in the end...Have a wonderful weekend. xo
ReplyDeleteIsaiah 40:31... we just did this one last night in small group, such perfect timing:
ReplyDelete"But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."