Thrifting and Decorating Require Vision

Here’s a common scenario for me: My husband and I are walking around on trash day. I’m distracted because I’m constantly looking at people’s trash for different items that I can salvage. A beat up dresser? Score! A coffee table with scratches all over the surface? Perfect! I’m often amazed at the things that people will label as “trash”, meanwhile other people are often amazed at the things that I’ll dig out of the trash and take home with me.

Why is it that I’m able to look with such delight on something that looks forlorn and abandoned? When I look at a broken down piece of furniture, I’m not looking at what it is right now – I’m seeing the potential. I see the beautiful carvings on a nightstand that will come to life with a coat of paint. I’m seeing the gorgeous turned legs and curves of a French provincial dresser that just needs a little TLC. Having VISION changes everything.

There are two reasons that people abandon things: 1) lack of vision or 2) lack of desire to put in the time to reach the vision.

The benefit of having vision and acting on it? You end up with a rare treasure.

The design of my home could never have resulted from buying only furniture that is new. This would result in something that is perhaps beautiful, but it would be more common. I would be shopping the same stores as everyone else, and scoring the same pieces. Thrifting or repurposing furniture is a time investment that results in a unique, rare treasure. You get to preserve history. You can customize things to suite your own tastes. Your home will look like no one else’s.

When God chooses us, he does so with a vision in mind. He hand-picks us with a joy in his heart, excited about the potential he sees. Carefully, slowly, patiently, he shapes us into what he intends. His process strips away the bad and brings out the beauty in us. While others may not see his vision and discard us, he never wavers in his decision to call us his own. Some might see our potential, but decide that we are not worth the effort. God says that we are worth the time, worth the pain, worth the effort. Because in the end, when his work is completed, we become a rare treasure to him. More than an object that gets displayed in his home, we become a member of his family, a treasured partner to him, and a trusted and beloved bride.