Repositioned

Up until last week, this fabulous garage sale find, has held its rightful position as bedside table lamp. 

However, last week I found that our apartment needed a little rearranging, and thus little tweaks were made.  I have no business purchasing new items for our modest home, as we are on a limited budget AND we will be moving (again) in a mere nine months. So, every now and then I attempt to create my very own HGTV moment.  I am not so sure Vern Yip would marvel over my styling, but then again I'm not so sure I'd be interested in his opinion.  But, that's besides the point.  The real motivation behind the repositioning stemmed from the fact that in the bedroom this lamp (and its identical twin) were serving no real purpose.  Aesthetically, they anchored our bed frame, providing symmetry.  However, in a master bedroom that is shared by an almost two-year-old with a 7:00pm bed time, the lights were never being used.  (Oh, the days of reading beneath down comforters, eyelids growing heavy with each turn of the page...how I long for the day when we reclaim our marital master bedroom as our very own.)  They were pretty in the bedroom, adding a bit o' color to an otherwise monochromatic room (we packed lightly for Cleveland), but in the kitchen and living room they serve a greater purpose. 

This subtle repositioning got me thinking.  Each day that I am blessed to live, am I willing to be used fully for my intended purpose?  Am I more interested in looking the part of Christ-follower, wife, mother, daughter, friend, than actively pursuing those roles, embracing them and living them out?  I am a firm believer in the idea that "there is a place for everything and everything has its place." Just ask my husband who when unloading the dishwasher leaves out the occasional kitchen gadget, random dish or lid on the counter recognizing that it does in fact have a place in our kitchen, but is unaware of where I have deemed its rightful place.  (Thankfully, I have a husband who is willing to oblige my fanatical organizing obsessions.)  Yet, in the pursuit of such organized and compartmentalized lives are we really missing the mark?  Do we trust the creativity of our Creator and His design for our lives?

 I think of my mustard colored garage sale gems.  While I still prefer the lamps in our bedroom, I cannot deny their useful presence in our home since repositioning them.  Thus I am left questioning,  Am I obediently seeking the Lord's will for my life, being open to His repositioning? 

I pray that I do not let my desire for the aesthetically beautiful, the neat and tidy get in the way of a useful, productive, full-functioning life.