Why Painting is Therapetic and God fills the void

I grew up watching my mom and dad paint all of the rooms in our home a different color at some point–some walls several times over. My sister and I always thought they were crazy for wanting to do it themselves. My mom always said: “Painting the walls is therapeutic for me.” We couldn’t fathom why she wouldnt just hire a professional and certainly why it would be therapeutic. Only now do I understand that. I FINALLY began painting the dining room after we’ve looked at blue painters tape for the last few weeks. I started last night and told myself, “I’ll only do one wall.” I technically did only one wall under the chair rail, but I also got most of the trim done as well. I sat in the floor a little irritated that it would “take me forever.” But something heart warming happened as I painted one section, then another. I watched each brush stroke as the paint began to transform the room. Each swipe of the brush applied paint, but also left little speckles void of “chantilly white.” Sounds dainty doesn’t it? I ran the brush back over the voided areas and those crevices filled right up, leaving a smooth, balanced finish of white paint. The white grasped onto the old surface to transform it and bring the welcomed end result into our dining space.

**Here’s a DIY tip: they now sell Marquee paint that already has primer in it. I stick with Home Depot and went with Behr this time because I love the color selection. While the wall and trim will need a second coat tonight, we are using much less paint and getting this project done in much less time.

Watching section by section, crevice by crevice transform to the clean white color I’ve so longed to see made me appreciate all of those years hearing my mom talk about how therapeutic painting can be. You skillfully paint and watch a wall or room transform into something different that brings you joy for its beauty, but also because YOU did it!

I can’t help but relate it to how God so gracefully heals our hearts. He works hard to fill the crevices that are void of love, strength, happiness, and joy. Sometimes the voids are simple: gradually losing sight of His image of you, days of angst over your parenting skills, stressing over finances and schedules. Daily life can slowly make us feel void of joy and gratefulness if we aren’t allowing GOD to fill our heart with coats of His love, grace, and guidance. The same goes for larger areas of space that need more coats of God’s “paint:” loss of a family member, struggling marriage or divorce, dwindling finances. Whatever it is that separates you from the peace, comfort, and joy God so longs to give, He is ready and willing to fill in those voids if we only let Him. Sometimes those areas of void leave us feeling lonely and unworthy. It’s in those moments when we have to ask God for His help. We are frustrated or sad. But, just like the new shade of chantilly white has soaked into the wall to transform the room, God longs to soak into our soul and transform those lonely spaces into warm, loving, and happy parts of our world.

Now our dining room appears larger, more open, just like I’m hoping my heart will continue to be: open to Gods transformation with each stroke of His brush to fill any void of my interior!