Embracing Chaos

If you’ve ever considered painting your entire house, let me offer a slice of advice: prepare not just for a home makeover, but for a full-on lesson in patience, flexibility, understanding, and rediscovering gratitude amidst the chaos.

This past week, my husband Joe and I hired painters to give every wall in our house a new coat of paint, eager for the transformation that awaited us. What started out as a hopeful, exciting home refresh rapidly devolved into a week of chaos and inconvenience as Joe and I navigated amongst the plastic coverings in each of the rooms.

The first morning, we greeted the painting crew with optimism. Prior to their arrival, we moved our furniture into the center of each room and stacked our belongings like a game of Jenga in order for the painters to cover everything in sight with plastic sheeting.  The excitement of our home’s transformation filled the air.

Unfortunately, as the day wore on, my excitement faded as our home had been transformed into an alien landscape. The familiar shapes of our lives—couches, chairs, beds, and dining tables were distorted and hidden under plastic making everything that I suddenly needed completely inaccessible. My office was reduced to a narrow corner on the floor where I balanced my laptop on my lap.

Every evening became a choreographed dance around the kitchen as I searched for a safe spot to make dinner. Before bedtime, Joe and I would navigate through the barricades of furniture and boxes, so that we could uncover the bed, reclaiming our space to rest and reset. Each morning, I would pour myself a cup of coffee, look at the chaos that surrounded me, and reluctantly pile items back up into towering stacks before the painters returned.

As I sat on the floor in my office, I couldn’t help but recall every home renovation show I’d ever watched. On HGTV, transformations happened at lightning speed and everything looked so easy. Hammers would fly, walls would go up, paint would dry instantly, and in the blink of an eye, a smiling host would reveal a magazine-worthy home. Unfortunately, my reality was a far cry from those shows.

I was learning that paint does not dry instantly and the entire process is anything but glamorous. Complicating matters, the previous homeowners had been smokers and our choice of a lighter paint color meant our walls and ceilings needed three to four coats, not just one or two. Timelines stretched. Perfection wavered. Each new coat of paint was a reminder that real transformation takes time and persistence.

By week’s end, as the final piece of plastic came down and sunlight poured onto pristine walls, a surge of joy and gratitude filled our newly refreshed home. It wasn’t just the clean lines and bright spaces that felt beautiful – it was the journey Joe and I had taken together. The process had tested our patience but also strengthened our partnership and ability to adapt.

Looking back, I realize home improvements are rarely as tidy or predictable as we imagine. Change, whether in our living spaces or our lives, is inherently messy. It challenges our expectations, tests our resourcefulness, and sometimes pushes us right to the edge of our comfort zones. But hidden within the chaos is an opportunity to find gratitude for simple comforts, to laugh amid the inconvenience, and to celebrate the end result all the more.

Now, as I sit in my sunlit office or lounge in our living room with walls that glow softly in the sunlight, I’m struck by how much more this experience gave me than a fresh coat of paint. Just as our walls required extra attention to fully cover the stains of the past, so too does my personal growth with Jesus.  Progress happens slowly and at times it isn’t always visible in the moment. It emerges layer by layer, but ultimately transformation does happen.

This experience has taught me that transformation, whether of a home or a heart, is rarely instant or perfect. It’s in the messiness, the challenges, and the willingness to persevere that real beauty takes shape. And sometimes, the greatest gifts are not the changes we see on the surface, but the strength, patience, and gratitude cultivated along the way.

How do you typically respond when faced with unexpected obstacles or chaotic circumstances? How do you find beauty and meaning in the midst of imperfection and ongoing change? When looking back on past challenges, what hidden gifts or strengths have you discovered within yourself? Please share in the comments.