On Dreaming, Doing, Deciding and Decorating…

Once upon a time in my awkward teenage years (you know- ages 14-27…) the grand question was posed, “so what are your plans for the future?” Even though I loved art, crafting and moving furniture around, I didn’t think being an interior designer was cool enough and being an interior decorator sounded a little too frou- frou for a plaid wearing daddy’s girl who liked to hang in the garage and build stuff. So, I made up my mind that I wanted to major in Architecture. It seemed a natural progression from all my house sketching back in the day. I chose my school… three hours away from home… because duh, all the cool kids were doing it…

Cue panic attacks… cue an achy break-y heart and homesickness…throw in a possible rekindling of a relationship with a boy I left at home and you’ll find me fast tracking it to a community college back in the hood after only one year away and 2 years later nailing down a degree in Architectural & Industrial Design…

But the story doesn’t end there because just like that whack-a-mole game at the fair, some desires just keep popping up even when you think you’ve got them under control. (P.S. the boy thing didn’t work out… making long term life decisions based on boys before you’re of drinking age isn’t such a good idea in my experience… truly God is the only one who has our best interests at heart when it comes to our futures…) But I am finally past the peer pressure stage…I think…maybe…hopefully… and though the past 13 years have been heavy on the industrial design side with nary a decorating decision to be made in my 9 to 5 work week, I can finally admit that I love to decorate, I’ve always loved to create and I don’t care who knows..!

I came to realize that decorating encompass so many things other than furniture placement and painting your walls. It creates feelings. It builds something from nothing and sometimes it recreates something new from something old. It’s a form of design. It’s simple, elegant, glam or refined.  It’s rusty and re-purposed. It’s art and beauty and emotion.

Looking at the letters in “Decorate” I noticed that when you rearrange them they spell “do create”…

do {verb}. To perform, execute, accomplish, put forth, or be the cause of something

and

create {verb}. To cause (something new) to exist or produce (something new, such as a work of art) by using your talents and imagination or bring into existence. <i.e. God created the heaven and the earth — Genesis 1:1>

Hmmm….It’s active and biblical, this decorating and designing thing…which makes sense because after all, God is the Master Creator… and above all it’s nothing I should be ashamed of.

The LORD has given them special skills as jewelers, designers, weavers, and embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on fine linen cloth. They excel in all the crafts needed for the work. ~Exodus 35:35

What we’re drawn to do in our hearts- what we have a passion for- was put there by a God who knows us inside and out…and wants us to use our talents just as they did long ago when building the tabernacle…

And if I need further proof that all this decorating, crafting, design and enterprise is a noble virtue, I see it reflected all through the life of the Proverbs 31 woman…

So today, I admit my love for decorating and I dare you to do the same- whatever your passions and dreams may be- I hope you’ll follow them and not neglect them. Grab hold of them and don’t let go. It may take a few tries and missteps to figure out your footing, but eventually you’ll end up where God meant for you to be.

♥