He told me to tell you that…

The Blonde (my wife Jennifer) got a crazy idea about a month ago to redecorate our bedroom. Can I share a little backstory before I go on with the DIY project? I started calling Jennifer the Blonde in high school before we had actually met.

She worked with my mother at a local flower shop, and one day I called my mom and I asked her, “How’s the Blonde doing down there?” Like I said I had not met Jennifer, but I had noticed her. My mother blessed me in a great way that day. She said, “I don’t know, why don’t you ask her yourself.” Then she gave the phone to Jennifer. Her hair is more gray than blonde now, but God says that’s a good thing (Proverbs 16:31) and happens to the best of us.

Back to the bedroom redo. It started with a new mattress. This should have been an easy decision and an easy transition but no, I’m not a fan. It feels like I need rails up on the edge of the bed to keep me from falling out at night. Like they say, “Watch that first step.”

Next came a new dresser which meant a search at local antique stores. After that scavenger hunt it was a quick trip to Lowes for the perfect shade of green paint (Secluded Garden) to refinish the serpentine dresser. Jennifer does all the refinishing work, so I’m still winning at this point.

My parents had given us two great end tables that were in our formal living room for years but eventually found their way to our bedroom and used as nightstands. They were two-tiered mahogany that I called JFK style.

They were from the 1950s and looked like something Jackie had in the White House. I loved them, but they were undoubtedly long out of style. Again, a long search on the internet, but we found the perfect replacements. Then came new lamp shades (drum is in style just so you know) for some old brass Japanese lamps that my parents have had around longer than they have had me. We inherited the lamps a million years ago, and I guess they are family heirlooms which means hard to get rid of. The lamps and shades do look good but different than before.

So, a new mattress, new bed frame, new pillows, new nightstands, new shades for brass Japanese lamps and new dresser. Oh, and a new mirror (have you priced mirrors lately, yikes!). I’m very grateful that we received an unexpected rebate check in the mail as it paid for all of this damage. So, a rebate check later, we have a very chic new bedroom.

But as one of our friends would say, “Here’s the rub …” I started thinking yesterday, this new green dresser has more drawers than our old dresser and so my stuff is going to be spread out. In other words, I had two big drawers that held everything I needed, but now I’m going to have six, ugh! Change! I don’t do very good at change. I told Jennifer today that I’m not going to know where to find my socks, neck ties, t-shirts or other unmentionables.

Change is hard. For the person that follows Christ it seems even harder (Have you ever tried to change anything at church? I know we laugh about this, but it’s really not funny).

What is it that we start our relationship with Jesus with change (we call it repentance) but after that, not so much. We are new creations at salvation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that transformation is to continue (Romans 12:2) but somewhere we get stuck. A relationship with Jesus includes constant change, it’s called sanctification (Hebrews 10:14, John 10:36, John 17:18-19) which is the effect of obedience to the Word of God - we become less like our old selves and more like Jesus. And who doesn’t want to be like Jesus?!

If most people can’t accept minor changes like finding their socks in a different dresser drawer how are we ever going to accept changes that matters the most? The necessary changes that will change our world (Matthew 28:19 & 20 & Acts 1:8)?

He asked me to ask you that.