God's Primer 12-29-10

Today we finally decided to crack open those cans of paint and work on Lydia's room. We'd been promising her that we'd do her room for longer than I'd like to admit, but busyness and a general lack of time coordination had prevented us. She'd had blue walls, but she longed for a soft yellow hue to fill her days with sunshine.

Before we could put the color on the walls, we needed to prime them. You prime for a couple of reasons. One of them is to put a barrier between what was past (the old color) and what you're trying to do in the future. You also might prime if you're painting over a shiny surface-- like polyurethaned paneling or anything that might make your new paint bubble and peel.

I will be the very first to admit that I love it when the color goes on! I despise having to prime because honestly I like seeing the end result. During the priming phase, I always find myself feeling pouty because it doesn't seem like we're doing anything toward the final product. I start to get tired, and my back starts to ache a bit, and I want to just have everything finished. Even though I know better, I just don't like priming, especially when it needs more than one coat of primer and you have to run out and get more primer because you don't have enough.

Following God's plans for your life is kindof like that. Sometimes you're in the priming stage. Sometimes it takes a lot of work, and at times we grow tired. We long to see the end result- the gorgeous color and the room put back together again, not the gray-white of a primer coat. We can find ourselves wishing that we could jump to the end without putting in the base work that needs to be done. What happens when we skip this vital step though is that the lovely yellow can come out a sickly green as it is colored by the blue of the past. The hard work comes to nothing but mess if we don't do ALL of the hard work that's needed. Sometimes, too, when we're in that priming stage, people seeing you go through it can't imagine the end result. Comments from nay-sayers can derail the project so you never get finished at all, but knowing what you're going for gives you hope, even in the face of adversity and exhaustion.

God isn't derailed by the gray-white of the primer coat. He isn't derailed when more primer is needed. He expects it. He knows what's going on, and even when we think we may never be done with the project, He knows all about His timing. He isn't derailed by nay-sayers who tell us to give up dreams of doing big things for God. Instead, God expects us to put in the work- to keep on going and working and even when we step in a puddle of paint (which I did today, by the way) he expects us to keep on working. Galatians 6:9 tells us, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Note those last few words... If we do not give up. Yes, we could put down the brushes and rollers and put our feet up before the work is done. We could skip steps and slap some paint up on the wall, but it would not be the blessing that God wants to see in our lives.

So what is God priming YOU for these days? Leave me a comment. I'd like to know!