This morning, I was nearly done with a painting project. The interior of our twenty year old house was painted with flat paint colors. The bathrooms all showed dirt stains and water marks that would not erase with a Mr Clean Magic sponge. I decided new colors would freshen up the bathroom and cover up the stains. My daughter had half a dozen paint samples, so I borrowed some of them to choose a new color. They all clashed with my tile, so I went to Sherwin Williams and studied the paint chips. “ Lemon Verbena” was the first choice for my lower level guest bathroom. The job was fun and easy while hubby was out of town. We agreed the color was too dark for our en-suite bathroom, so I tried to match the tile with a warm beige. “Natural Linen” looked right, so I bought a quart. Apparently our white woodwork is nearly the same as Natural Linen so the color was too light. I took it back and the sales clerk added additional pigments to get a “Saddle Back” color. I felt confident it would be perfect. Too yellow. I mixed it with the Lemon Verbena and got a lovely Castelvetrano olive shade. I prepped with lots of blue tape to protect the baseboard and started painting. The color was calming and complimentary to the tile.
Hubby was home this time and helped reach the higher ceiling area for me. Team work! We agreed the satin finish will withstand the water stains better. I was very careful climbing the step stool and painting with minimal messiness. It was not until I was pulling the blue tape off and admiring the two coats of paint that I misstepped and started to fall. I caught the towel bar and ripped it from the wall as my foot searched for the next step. Okay, that hurt a little on my ankle and forearm, but my confidence came crashing down hard when I saw the hole I left in the wall. This is going to take a big patch job.
Hubby returned from his morning walk and saw the pout face while I confessed, “I had the bathroom put back together only to yank out the towel bar with a hunk of dry wall attached”. Good hubby that he is asked if I was okay. “Not really”, I said with my ego severely damaged. He promised it would be an easy fix. Hopefully it can be done before my custom color paint mix dries up.
I thought about covering up the wall stains and how we cannot ever cover up our mistakes completely. They show through like a poor paint job. Christians believe we cannot cover our sins, but Jesus can wash them away as though they never happened. This is what makes Jesus so popular. Our confidence and ego can be restored when we understand that He cares for us with all our flaws and missteps. How can an ancient teacher and healer be relevant after 2023 years? He synthesizes all the laws down into two. “Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Following His way makes every relationship perfect. All hardships can improve when we have relationships with loving people who are always ready to help.
I have some “hot mud” to make a patch for my wall. Forget the towel bar. We will have to set that bar higher. My painting may have covered a few flaws, but Jesus covers all of mine- thank God!
Sparkling Water with a Twist 