About a month ago, I embarked on the somewhat arduous task of repainting all the baseboards in my suburban shack. Our eleven-year old abode has been the home of two families with children and despite all attempts to clean house, those dirty, grimy baseboards rebuffed all products and attempts to clean out the grit. The only remaining option was to trek to the paint store for a couple of quarts of “Aspen White,” which is the standard fare in this suburban morass of sameness.
Yet I was quite surprised by the enjoyment I gleaned from this rather dull and mundane task. Painting was slow and tedious; one cannot rush the process. And as I painted I could not help but ponder why I was doing this (and I pondered many other things as well). Was I seeking the envy of other women whose baseboards would not glow in their beauty like mine? Or was I simply enjoying the pure pleasure redeeming what I can in my modest home so that it is a more comfortable place for my family and friends?
But what of the bigger picture? In this carefully architected, sterile environment where mega churches are perched on the highest point with grand views of the Rockies and where smaller evangelical churches occupy many street corners or hold services in the various elementary schools, what does the Biblical model of life look like?
I possess very few answers to questions like this, but I do know one thing (and Becky do no ask me to justify how I know this – I think it is by experience 
), taking the time to think about the big questions in life, examining motives and ruminating on how suburban life might be different is not just deeply rewarding, but necessary to live a rich life and not just float from suburban fantasy to suburban fantasy.
Only one room in my house is waiting for its cleansing with paint and brush (actually the metaphor of painting over the dirt because it cannot be removed is interesting), but I plan to return here to “Painting Baseboards” every couple of days for a few more musings, questions and maybe even some answers. Most importantly, I look forward to your thoughts and comments on life, culture and the Christian worldview.
July 4, 2006 at 6:22 pm |
Nancy:
You have entered the blogosphere, blogdom, the blogoverse with your own blog. It is dangerous in here, of course. Yet true thoughts may here grow. False thoughts may be cut down and burned–and time wasted, if one is not careful.
It is fitting to reflect on “small things,” since most of our lives are taken up with such. What about home improvement? We do little, for many reasons. But since we will soon leave our home to house sitter for a few months, we are having some repairs done. So, we can attempt to bring a bit more beauty and order to our deteriorating abode. Or at least we can slow down the rate of devolution a bit.
What strikes me is that some people make their homes into idols. They are more concerned with the exteriors than interiors (of the mind). They are more concerned with wallpaper than with books, more concerned with lawns than with minds. Of course, a handsome home doesn’t mean an impoverished mind.
I look forward to your musings.
Best,
DRG
July 5, 2006 at 1:04 pm |
Nancy,
We should bestow dignity on our homes whether they are suburban, urban, or desert shacks as they are places that nurture important human relationships of many kinds. The desire for beautiful, clean, comfortable and welcoming living-quarters is congruent with our responsibilties in Romans 12:13. One need not spend a lot of money to have a home that is welcoming to guests, indeed, some of my most memorable experiences have been of the hospitality of those who have little in the way of the world’s goods but much in the way of Christ.
-Susan
July 5, 2006 at 3:48 pm |
Doug – thanks for the encouragement. I’m hoping that blogging will minimize time wasted. I’ll hopefully spend less time reading many blogs and more time on fewer blogs and thinking about life etc.
July 6, 2006 at 8:33 pm |
Doug & Susan,
I was fortunate to be the guest on the 4th of a hostess who is a wonderful model of “practicing hospitality.” Her home is the location of many, many wonderful memories. I have a lot to learn from her.
And there is a clear difference between this delightful woman’s generosity with her guests and the other woman that Joy Davidman (C.S. Lewis’s wife) portrays in “Smoke on the Mountain.” Davidman speaks in first person of the idolatry of the home:
“I worship my house beautiful, sister. Long and loving meditation have I spent on it; the chairs contrast with the rug, the curtains harmonize with the woodwork, all of it is perfect and holy. The ash trays are in exactly the right place, and should some blasphemer drop ashes on the floor, I nearly die of shock. I live only for the service of my house, and it rewards me with the envy of my sisters, who must rise up and call me blessed. Lest my children profane the holiness of my house with dirt and noise, I drive them out of doors” (p. 30).
This humorous characature is not too far from the truth in some cases!
July 7, 2006 at 3:45 am |
Yikes!
Reminds me of the neighbors who had the “sitting room” with white furniture, white carpet, …and plastic covering all of the chairs and the couch.
Of course, no one ever sits in the “sitting room.” One simply must have such a room.
July 8, 2006 at 11:59 pm |
Brings me to think about Mary and Martha… I should be starting that study in the Fall. I think we all struggle to find the balance. Do I have a lovely, pristine enviroment and no time to enjoy it, or revel in my messy house of fun. My youngest loves messy houses and messy cars, my oldest likes order to his world. Thanks goodness my hubby doesn’t really care one way or the other. I do think that mundane chores like painting and mopping can refresh the spirit and give the mind a chance to do some of its best work! We have the debate about what constitutes “work” on the Sabbath. A man who does yardwork for a living probably ought not do yardwork on his Sabbath, but can a man who sits in an office all week enjoy the restful experience of yardwork? And how did your baseboards get me to ramble about Sabbath rest? Good luck with the project!
July 10, 2006 at 2:07 pm |
Ah…baseboards and Sabbath rest…hmm I may have to do a little thinking as this could be a very intresting post. For my husband yardwork is a much needed rest indeed!