I just finished reading The Nesting Place: It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful by Myquillyn Smith.
Some of you might glance at a few photos in the book, and
say, “That’s not my style.” But this book is not about style or taste. It’s
much bigger. It’s about pushing past our fears, perfectionism, and other’s opinions
to create a beautiful home. It’s about doing it on a shoestring. It’s about
loving the home we’re in, not wishing for another one.
I can’t tell you how liberating The Nesting Place was.
She notes that fear and perfectionism are the biggest
obstacles keeping us from creating the home we want. We’re afraid we won’t do
it perfectly. I had to laugh when I read that you might be a perfectionist if
you have a stack of art in a corner that’s waited to be hung for weeks.
Oops.
I have some botanicals I found for a song at a
church bazaar while vacationing. They’ve been sitting in the same spot in my
bedroom for two months.
“It’s less about doing the ‘right’ thing and more about creating a home that works for your family
right now, a home that fulfills its purpose in this season,” Smith writes.
“Wait,” you say. “What about that old saying, ‘if it’s worth
doing, it’s worth doing right?”
I have to tell you that old saying has dogged me my entire
life. Kept me from pushing forward because I might not do it right. I’m fairly
sure that some folks think it’s in the Bible.
It’s not.
“But,” you say (Don’t you love how I think I can read your
mind?), “what about Colossians 3:23?”
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since
you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”
Well, yes. Work at making a lovely home
with all your heart, but the pieces that make it lovely don’t all have to be
perfect. I won’t go any further because as my mother used to say, I don’t want
to “steal her thunder.” Myquillyn does a wonderful job helping us embrace the
glorious imperfections.
For various reasons, Myquillyn has moved fourteen times in
her eighteen years of married life. After buying or renting that many houses of
varied descriptions, she writes, “I can accept the fact that my house and life
and body aren’t perfect, because I trust there is a greater purpose. I trust that
God knows what he’s doing, and I don’t have to panic and attempt to make sense
of it all. I’ve given up trying to control our circumstances and instead am
determined to create a home wherever we are. And that’s made all the
difference.”
Reading her book made me want to paint or move furniture or
put branches in vases. I immediately gold leafed a carved picture frame, which
wound up looking hideous, but I remembered what she said, “You can’t ruin
something you hate.” I never liked that frame much anyway. I’ll do something
else to it.
No matter what your resources are, whether you're raiding the Goodwill or you inherited museum quality antiques, this book will speak to you.
If you need inspiration for any creative pursuit, read The
Nesting Place. Myquillyn Smith will help set you free to use your God-given
creativity in a way that perhaps you never have before.
I love this writer.
Now, I’m off to arrange a gallery wall in my bedroom. I’ll
share a picture later. I could even paint that carved picture frame, again, and
use it.
You might also enjoy Myquillyn Smith’s blog, Nesting Place.