Re-arranging the Furniture

I have a lot of weaknesses. And if you know me, you know that I love to rearrange my home. Quite often.

Usually my husband will either come home to a completely different living room lay- out, or he ends up stuck helping me with the heavy - I can't move furniture. Usually, the latter is the most common. I know what he is thinking while he so "graciously" grins and lifts, and moves the things that I need help with. WHY?? It looked good before - he use to actually say this, but now he just thinks it. He knows there is no sense in it - it always looks good after too.


There was a day, when I wouldn't ask for help. I was too impatient. I would get the urge to re-arrange everything while he was away at work to "surprise " him. Ohhhh.. he was surprised.. just not too happy when he found out I had moved the heavy things by myself. So, now he helps, and knows the routine.


It is fun, actually. The whole family gets into the moves. We do not do them as often as we use to though. Our home is pretty set in its style,, but, I can feel the "re-arranging itch," coming back.

This past weekend, I did some re-arranging of more than just my furniture. I re-arranged my heart. My priorities, and my thoughts were a little "out of place." They weren't looking too good and the entire ensemble put together was quite distracting. And so, the re-arranging began. It didn't start as eagerly as it does when it is my furniture, I must admit.

I began with my marriage. I moved the discontent completely out of the picture, ( not just to the side), and replaced it with appreciation. I then had to get help with the biggest move - my thoughts. Rather than just letting the dust settle on my thoughts that were breeding anger, or resentment, I asked my husband for help with this move, and we worked together to move them as well. Replacing them with forgiveness, love, and understanding. Wow - I love this re-arranging thing. At least, I love the outcome! I find my moves are always a big mess and distraction while I am in the middle of moving things around, but, in the end, I am usually satisfied with the product.

The difference with this weekends projects - I wasn't moving things around for my own gratification. My "living room" - Heart space, thought space - are the Lord's territory. I made these changes to be more pleasing to Him. A cleaner vessel. A more appealing place to worship.

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Here is a memory that was not too funny to me when it happened, but now that I look back on this childhood incident, I laugh quite out loud!

It clearly defines my history with re-arranging. It goes like this:

I had a small, pretty room as a little girl. It was yellow ( my favorite color,) and it was small. ( Did I mention the small part?).. I have no idea how many times I re-arranged my bed, my dresser, and my desk. Only three pieces of furniture. But, I did. And it was a lot.

I had just found this new-fangled way to get my tall white dresser where my bed was, and then notch my desk on an angle into a corner. Holly Hobby wallpaper, yellow curtains, and this new move and I was quite content.
That is, UNTIL I went to bed that night.
I gave my parents a hug and kiss, said my "good nights."
( Just to preface here -I was deathly afraid of something being under my bed at this age.)
I asked my mom if she was going to check under my bed? She told me that I had just changed my room around, and I could see very clearly that there wasn't any thing under there. She wanted me to go to bed on my own this night.

PICTURE THIS:
I KNEW there was something under my bed. I just knew. It was big, and was going to grab my leg, pull me and under and no one would ever see me again. I walked calmly down the hall to my room. ( The calm part was all an act...)
I backed up before my dark room, door open, but lights off. I decided to make a run for it and jump!
I gave it all I had, ran with all of my might, jumped HIGH AND HARD - RIGHT into my dresser!!!!!!!!
SMACK! - I was now pretty unconscious -prone on the floor!

WHO put my dresser where my bed was?!! What lunatic moved my room around again?!
As I lay there, looking into my mom's bewildered face, ( I could see a humorous, sympathetic twinkle in her eye ,) I remember thinking that if there was something under my bed, it would have gotten me by now - as I lay there -waiting, in pain.

I can't say that this curbed my compulsion to re-arrange things, but it did cause me to turn my light on before jumping into bed!

So, I am thinking that although re-arranging can be painful - whether in our homes, or in my heart and life - it can bring about a much more pleasing result in the end.

I have learned that when it comes to re-arranging things in my personal life- the longer I wait to get the most-pleasing result for the Lord, the harder it is to make the change.
I am thankful for this weekend. My "living room" has much more room for worship of the ONE that makes it all matter in the END.