Friday, December 7, 2007

Make Over

When we moved into our home almost 10 years ago, it definitely was a “fixer upper.” Built in 1972, it still had all the original 1972 paint, carpet, and light fixtures. One of my of my goals in owning my own home (well okay, the mortgage company owns it, we just pay them and get to live in it) was to paint the walls any color other than white or creamy white. I wanted to add color to our lives since the mortgage company allows us handle all the maintenance and upkeep.


Being new and inexperienced, I started painting. I first painted my baby’s room. He was only one year old at the time. I did a Noah’s Ark theme. (I redid that room last year.) But the second project was the boys bathroom a.k.a. the guest bathroom. I found (what I thought then) was a great looking shower curtain with water and fish on it appropriate and enticing for the boys. Well I went to work on the paint. I wanted to paint a river on the bottom portion of the bathroom wall with sunshine on the top portion. I got the river to look alright (so I thought 9 years ago), but the sunshine part didn’t look so great. I went several times to the paint store and had them remix the yellow. I’d paint it again and I still didn’t like the yellow. They told me at the paint store if they had to add any more color to the yellow they were going to start charging me as they wouldn’t even know what to call that color anymore—it lost its name. So I had some creamy white paint left over from another paint project and decided to dab white on the wall to tone down the yellow. I still wasn’t happy with it. But decided that’s what it was going to be. Here’s what it looked like:















Yeah, I know—bad. But we got used to it and just didn’t even notice it anymore. After my baby turned 10 years old this year, I went in there but this time I noticed how bad it REALLY looked. I decided it was time for a bathroom make over!


I made all the plans and went to work scraping the walls from the ceiling to the floor. Sanded (thank God for power tools) the ceiling and walls. Decided to have more space by pulling out the counter and paint the cabinet white. After a week of work and unexpected work (it’s amazing what you find behind the walls that get wet—mold). Now all the mold is gone. We used concrete boards for the lower walls and mold resistant paint as a defense against future attempts of mold manifestation.


Finally after removing all the yucky stuff we found inside and made the repairs, I got to paint! I enjoyed the painting part, but hated the waiting for the primer to dry. Then waiting for the coats of paint to dry. Then we got to put in all the nice things I wanted in the bathroom. This is the final result














I like the make over bathroom much better! And I know it is clean from the inside of the walls and out!


As I worked on this bathroom project, I thought and pondered with the Lord about what is hidden inside of me. Seeking those things that need to be cleaned out.


Psalm 139:23-24

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.


The Lord through His Son, Jesus, works in us to make us over. It hurts some times with all the scraping, cutting and sanding. He works on us, area by area, to make us a new creation.


2 Corinthians 2:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!


Let’s let the Lord work on our beauty from the inside out.


1 Peter 3:4

Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.


Blessings in Christ--

12 gracious comments:

jen said...

Wow!!! You did a terrific job! I know it sounds silly but everytime I clean our carpets I think about how God cleans us from the inside first and how he sucks out all the bad stuff and replaces it with Jesus. :)

Fran said...

WOW! Extremem Home Makeover better watch out! Very impressive my friend.

Very good post. Thank you!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Fran

Leah Adams said...

Woo-hooo!! Girl, you are something else!! You can come do a makeover at my house anytime. I love the colors. Isn't it neat how Jesus is always willing to make us over if we just give up that old yucky stuff that we hold onto inside?

Leah
www.thepoint-leah.blogspot.com

Darla said...

You did a great job! We have been working (slowly) or making over our home...its getting there, and I wanted to get rid of white walls too! I like the color I finally picked for the living room..but I love what you did with that bathroom..want to design mine? :)

Angela Baylis said...

What a sweet post! I love how it's ALL about God! I love seeing what He is doing in people's lives all around us. I'm glad He works things out from the inside out! Life works so much better with Him in it--starting with the foundation!

You did such a great job! It's beautiful and so fresh!
Much love,
Angie xoxo

marine's words said...

WOW!!! you can come over my house and make it over anytime.I am very impress you are talented.
These was a good post!!marina

Anonymous said...

It was nice to see pictures of the bathroom you were telling me about. I like it a lot!

Hope you're having a great weekend!
Karen
www.homesteadblogger.com/tagblog

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful Shonda...I love you put everything in perspective and in line with God's Word.

The Lord is brooming and mopping as we speak LOL

Have a blessed day!

Bev Brandon @ The Fray said...

oh WOW! you did great! loved the before and after...and love how you deal with the fray of your own heart all the time Shonda! from the inside out your heart cries out and your humility is so inviting!

annette said...

First of all great job on the makeover, and I appreciate the parallel of our lives getting the fresh makeover. God is so good like that to supply new wallpaper for the walls of our heart and a thorough cleaning! Your post blessed me as usual. love you, annie

Tam said...

It is so amazing to me what the Lord can reveal through the things we do...like a bathroom remodel... He's so fun and creative!

jennyhope said...

That looks like my old bathroom and you could get a lot of miles out of this comparison. It is funny how we get used to the way things are when they could be different and better. =)