We redid our girls rooms a few weeks ago - they’d been asking for quite awhile and when spring break came up with a week at home - we knew it was time. So I told them this was going to be a team effort, all hands on deck….we ventured to the store to pick out their paint colors, got our supplies ready (extra drop cloths ) and drew up the plans. They sketched out their thoughts on a poster board, it was so fun to watch them dream. They got to write whatever they wanted on that poster board no matter how wild it was. That’s the beginning of how we create new things right? After their visions were complete, we went over them, refining them as we realized what we could and couldn’t make happen. That refining process helped us realize what the dream would look like as it took shape. We settled on a plan and ordered their new beds and decor - now, we were ready to paint . As I started to actually think about the process of painting these rooms, I realized I hadn’t completely thought through the whole preparing thing. Like all of the time that needs to go into removing outlet covers and removing furniture and hanging pictures and taping trim and laying drop cloths and getting paint and rollers and brushes ready….among other things. I had spent time dreaming of the new rooms with them, and refining the dream, but underestimated the preparation stage. As I was taping the rooms, I got thinking about how the preparation stages of our lives can sometimes seem to go on forever, and in some ways, they do. We’re always learning and growing as humans. But then there are some specific seasons, where maybe we know we’re being prepared for a new season, a new calling, a new job, a new era - and the preparation feels as if it’s dragging on and on.
After the preparation was finally done, the three of us got our paint gear on and got ready to get to work. As we were painting, I realized that it takes a lot of time to dream, plan and prepare, and only a few (what can feel like moments) to actually paint - to see that new color on the wall. We probably painted that first room in about an hour, after all of those hours spent dreaming, refining, ordering, prepping and more. And then I got thinking about how that’s a lot like our process sometimes in life. We spend a lot of time dreaming and planning and refining and preparing, only to find out that we continue to wait for the new era. But when it comes, it moves quickly. And all of the proverbial taping, getting the drop cloths down, and rollers and brushes ready were a critical part of our journey. It was where the blueprints of the dream had time to take shape in our minds and hearts. Any discrepancies or tensions that could have tripped us up, were resolved. And we realize that what we thought was a long and sometimes irritating wait, was some of the best time we had. The memories made with my girls dreaming and planning and prepping for their new rooms was the best part of the process. And it reminded me that embracing the preparation is just as important as the dream coming to life.
