When Michelangelo brushed his last stroke on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, I imagine he must have stood back to take in his work as a whole: one part admiration, three parts relief at the work’s being complete.
As I hammered the last finishing nail in the floor trim when I renovated our kitchen a few years ago, I stood back to take in the work as a whole: one part relief at the work’s being complete, three parts amazement that the nail went in straight.
After I put the last of the tools back down in the basement, I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, staring, noticing a few minor imperfections in the drywall that few others would perceive. I like to believe those little imperfections, like the bumps and wrinkles of life, are what make a place, a life, our own. Perfection, after all, is in the eye of the cynic.
As I stood there, I tried to picture what the kitchen had looked like when we first moved into the house. I began wondering what it had looked like before then, when previous owners lived here. Our house is well over 100 years old, so I figure it must have gone through many renovations. All those minor imperfections painted, papered and paneled over to lay a claim, to mark a territory, to discover a place anew over and over again.
Then a thought occurred to me: Aren’t we all constantly renovating our inner rooms?
Saint Paul said “that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.” (Ephesians 4:22-24). It’s like EWTN meets HGTV, and Lent is the perfect time to draw up the blueprints.
However, a person needs to tear down a facade put up years ago, perhaps a lifetime ago, before rebuilding. A spiritually healthy individual needs to know the dimensions of his own door jam in order to put up new trim. The subfloor must be flat, smooth and clean before laying the new, improved vinyl flooring. Seams between sheets of drywall must be taped and spackled well so that the wall can be one flowing surface. Paint looks best over a coat of fine primer; that is, our outside is only as beautiful as what lies beneath the surface – because if you can’t get at what’s really underneath, at least keep it from bleeding though.
Furniture refinishing is much the same thing. When I got my first apartment, I raided my parents’ attic. Along with an old set of plates I don’t ever remember using, forks, knives, spoons, a few pots and a magazine rack, I was able to confiscate two matching end tables circa early 1960s. They had been the end tables of my youth, permanent fixtures in our living room until my brothers and I were out of the jump-on-the-furniture-with-your-dirty-shoes-on phase, when my parents bought new furniture that wasn’t akin to burlap.
When I set up my living room – which also played the role of dining room, office, guest room, and, at times, hamper – the end tables gave me a familiar, homey comfort. I made the decision to refinish them. It wasn’t that they were in bad shape, and it wasn’t that I didn’t particularly like the style. It was that I was not living at home anymore – I was on my own and needed to strip off the fine, natural wood finish of my parents and paint them with the good black semi-gloss of my independence.
It’s not just the big jobs that help us renovate our inner rooms. Saint Francis de Sales said that “great occasions for serving God come seldom; but little ones surround us daily.” The smallest jobs around the house can be just as important. Touching up paint on a baseboard, fixing a leaking faucet, replacing a light switch or even simply spring cleaning can be insightful and meaningful when looked at through a spiritual lens.
Consider taking a moment this Lenten season to stand in the doorway or your inner room and take note of what can be renewed.
With the desire to know God better, the patience to listen to Him and do His will, and a toolbox filled with Holy Mass, the Sacraments and spiritual guidance, any inner room can be renovated.
Deacon Dean Johnson serves at Church of the Holy Family, Sewell.
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