Amazingly Beautiful Restoration

Amazed that she found beauty in the old armoire, I laughed. It was sitting in the middle of a dusty antique barn.

“This will be perfect for my apartment,” she said, eyes gleaming.

“I don’t know. It really needs paint,” I said. I removed the oddly placed plastic plant from the top of the armoire.

“Oh, honey, look. The top is all splintered.”

“No one will see the top. I love it!”

Pulling on the tiny knobs, she opened the doors. The dowel rod placed at the top seemed sturdy enough but that was about it. The floor of the armoire was broken and practically missing.

I expressed my doubts how useful the piece would be but my daughter absolutely loved it. She had great plans of how she would fix and use it. She begged for it and said she would pay for it herself. I liked the outside of the armoire. It did have appeal but I knew it would take a lot of work to make it functional. Nevertheless, since she was willing to pay for it and do all the work, I relented.

We only had one day to get the armoire purchased and moved into her college apartment. There was no time for us to assist her in the renovation project before our long drive home. It was left in her hands.

A busy college and work schedule soon took precedence. The armoire was wiped down and a quick fix of colorful contact paper was added. I don’t know if she added the contact paper for color or to help hold the armoire together.

There are still hopes and dreams for the armoire but the reality has set in. My daughter realized no matter if she sticks a distracting plant on top or tries to cover the blemishes with contact paper; it’s not going to help. She can only hang lightweight clothes in it and the floor is miraculously holding two pairs of shoes. The truth is the armoire will need to be stripped down, repaired, and refinished by someone with experience. Life’s too busy for her to take it to someone right now, but maybe when school is out for the summer. It’s going to take more work and more money than she originally thought.

Isn’t life like that sometimes? We try to make ourselves look the best we can. We attempt to distract people away from our faults. We try to cover them up or divert attention away from them.

We begin to lose some pieces along life’s way. Splintered hearts question our usefulness. Or perhaps we’re so busy we think we’re serving a purpose. We may be able to do some things but we’re not utilizing our full potential.

Thank the Lord, He sees the potential in us. He loves us. After all, He is our creator. He chose to pay the price for us, even after we have become broken. When we try to fix things on our own, we fall short.

The reality is our Creator is the best choice for refurbishing us. Submitting to the Master’s skillful hands is not always easy. Stripping false layers and sanding out imperfections can be painful. But the Creator makes us stronger and more useful for His purpose. All His restoration projects are amazingly beautiful.