We have a tall house. It’s hard to paint. As someone with a healthy respect for heights, let me tell you it seems that the ends of that second story reach nearly to the sky. The extension ladder we own wasn’t tall enough…THAT kind of tall. So, the truth is, we put off painting the house. For one thing, it’s just expensive and we knew we would have to do it to get it done. For another, we were having a hard time figuring out what color to paint it. Our neighbors had used our favorite color schemes already. But, really, deep down inside, we were just stalling because neither of us was looking forward to getting out there on that super-extension ladder to scrape, sand, prime, and paint. It takes a lot of time, and it’s hot. And it is very, very high.
So, you can imagine my mood when I was out there painting. I confess to being a weather wimp, and the dog days of August with their humidity and high heat are my least favorite of all. I got out there at 6 a.m. and worked until 10:30 or so each day, tackling the siding on the first floor. My husband promised to man the spray rig and do all the stucco parts, if I would just handle that nasty, peeling wood.
Can I confess to just a little pride? I really liked the way the first floor was turning out. I liked the color, I thought it matched with the brick pretty well, and I could almost envision my hydrangeas grown back from the merciless chopping I just gave them, dancing and bowing in the breeze with their big fluffy, colorful heads set off by the sage green paint on the siding.
Then, it happened. I was literally standing there admiring my own work, thinking about what an improvement it was, maybe even patting myself on the back just a tad. A couple on a mid-morning stroll stopped and surveyed my work. Beaming, I turned to hear their compliments.
“You do know those colors don’t match, don’t you?” the woman said, smiling.
“That green’s okay, but the lighter color is just not right,” the man agreed, nodding, “You’ll have to redo that part.”
They went on chatting cheerily about our terrible color scheme, and telling me what a pity it was to have wasted so much work. Then they left. I know it sounds terribly silly and childish, and it is, but I was stunned. Those casual words hit me hard, square between the eyes of my heart.
At that point, I turned to look at the front of the house, downcast. Suddenly, I realized…they didn’t know the stucco wasn’t done yet. They thought the peach stucco was somehow meant to go with the dark sage siding! I started to laugh – out loud! – and wanted to call to them down the street, “Wait! This isn’t the color it’s going to be! I’m not FINISHED yet!” I had been looking at what was done through the eyes of potential, they saw only the whole.
I wondered if they will notice the difference on a future walk? I wondered if they would remember our conversation, or if it would even ever occur to them how deflated they left me feeling? No, probably not, their words were just the idle passing of the day – not meant to harm or discourage, just…words.
Then, I wondered how often I do that to others. When God is right in the middle of helping my kids mature, do I deflate their progress with less than helpful words? When God “isn’t finished” with someone, do I see the flaw rather than the potential? Do my idle words ever discourage rather than build up?
Today, I have taken as the gate for my mouth Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” After all, what we see is only the incomplete version. God sees with omniscient eyes into our potential!
Be encouraged, friends! God is at work!
Cara & Patti
Classic Christianity: A Year of Timeless Devotions
So, you can imagine my mood when I was out there painting. I confess to being a weather wimp, and the dog days of August with their humidity and high heat are my least favorite of all. I got out there at 6 a.m. and worked until 10:30 or so each day, tackling the siding on the first floor. My husband promised to man the spray rig and do all the stucco parts, if I would just handle that nasty, peeling wood.
Can I confess to just a little pride? I really liked the way the first floor was turning out. I liked the color, I thought it matched with the brick pretty well, and I could almost envision my hydrangeas grown back from the merciless chopping I just gave them, dancing and bowing in the breeze with their big fluffy, colorful heads set off by the sage green paint on the siding.
Then, it happened. I was literally standing there admiring my own work, thinking about what an improvement it was, maybe even patting myself on the back just a tad. A couple on a mid-morning stroll stopped and surveyed my work. Beaming, I turned to hear their compliments.
“You do know those colors don’t match, don’t you?” the woman said, smiling.
“That green’s okay, but the lighter color is just not right,” the man agreed, nodding, “You’ll have to redo that part.”
They went on chatting cheerily about our terrible color scheme, and telling me what a pity it was to have wasted so much work. Then they left. I know it sounds terribly silly and childish, and it is, but I was stunned. Those casual words hit me hard, square between the eyes of my heart.
At that point, I turned to look at the front of the house, downcast. Suddenly, I realized…they didn’t know the stucco wasn’t done yet. They thought the peach stucco was somehow meant to go with the dark sage siding! I started to laugh – out loud! – and wanted to call to them down the street, “Wait! This isn’t the color it’s going to be! I’m not FINISHED yet!” I had been looking at what was done through the eyes of potential, they saw only the whole.
I wondered if they will notice the difference on a future walk? I wondered if they would remember our conversation, or if it would even ever occur to them how deflated they left me feeling? No, probably not, their words were just the idle passing of the day – not meant to harm or discourage, just…words.
Then, I wondered how often I do that to others. When God is right in the middle of helping my kids mature, do I deflate their progress with less than helpful words? When God “isn’t finished” with someone, do I see the flaw rather than the potential? Do my idle words ever discourage rather than build up?
Today, I have taken as the gate for my mouth Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” After all, what we see is only the incomplete version. God sees with omniscient eyes into our potential!
Be encouraged, friends! God is at work!
Cara & Patti
Classic Christianity: A Year of Timeless Devotions
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