My husband is a wonderful man. He knows how much I love old farmsteads, and a few months ago when he was working at a dairy farm, he came across an old window frame. He thought of me, and asked the farmer if he could have it to give to his wife. It was the best surprise ever, and I love it.
It's full of character, crackling paint, and a rusty latch. None of this is prefabricated. This window earned its marks over its years.
When he brought it home, it was covered in cobwebs, dust, bugs and dirt (lots and lots of dirt.) Today, I pulled it out of the storage room and decided to clean it. I leaned it up against the kitchen island, found a soft rag, and began to wipe away the dust. At first, I was apprehensive; afraid that I would take off too many pieces of the crackling paint. I was getting braver, as I realized that my gentleness would do nothing to get the cobwebs and dust off of my beautiful window frame. While I was mindfully wiping it down, a verse popped into my mind:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God......
Romans 3:23
This verse played on a loop track in my mind while I was wiping, and rinsing clean, then wiping again. As I was wiping clean this glorious structure, I became more and more satisfied in it. I was delighted to discover that on the back of the frame, someone had painted one side of it hunter green. It was hidden under all of the grime. I thought that the window was beautiful before. Slowly, this frame was becoming a masterpiece.
I continued to be more brave while wiping it down. Some of the paint chips floated freely to the ground as I did. At first, I was horrified. I was ruining this piece by changing its original state as I cleaned it. Then a thought crossed through my mind:
I'm not ruining it, I'm instilling it with some of my own character.
I will now be a part of what it is,
and what it is becoming.
I smiled to myself, still replaying the verse above over and over in my head. Then, I got the idea to actually wipe down the individual paint chips that were still attached to the window. My level of appreciation and satisfaction in this window deepened even more as I took the grime of at least a decade off of the creamy, white paint. I discovered that some of the paint had faded into a lovely, light pink shade over the years where the sun had touched it. I was thoroughly delighted in this frame now.
And that was when He spoke:
My child, this is the same satisfaction that I have in you.
I looked at the frame, then at the ground, where all of the cobwebs, paint chips and dust were lying. Anything that wasn't meant to be on that frame had been removed. Yes, there is still dirt on it in some spots. The latch is missing it's other piece. There is no glass in the windows. One corner of the window has seen the effects of rot. But this is the most beautiful thing that I have ever had to call as my own. It is salvaged, but it is so delightfully, gloriously beautiful.
And now, it is saved. Just like myself. Every single day, His satisfaction in me will grow as well as His delight.
And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by
Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:24
