Unfinished Projects and "It is Finished"

After every occasional weekend at the store, I am greeted with all the unfinished projects that didn't quite get done...

These frames got painted, sanded, waxed, and had fun chipboard cut to size for them. They just needed some hooks to finish them up to sell, but the engineering needed a little more tweaking, so here they sit in my dining room.

I had soaked and washed a whole boatload of beautiful linens to create some Easter projects.  Here they are drying on my kitchen island one of the nights before we were open:

(My kids have grown up with this kind of craziness!)

I acquired a whole stash of meticulously embroidered tea towels that reminded me of decorated easter eggs.  They had some stains, but I knew the beautiful parts could be saved and sewed into a flatware holder for each place setting at an Easter table.

  

From another home, I had received every little scrap and bit of fabric that had been leftover from every sewing project this woman had done.  They were all cute feedsack calico prints of pinks, purples, greens, and aqua blues.  The scraps would be perfect cut into 2 inch random length strips, sewn with a rod pocket and then lined up on a rustic rope; perfect Easter bunting!

I have 4 vintage ice cream chairs, whose chair pads got cut, padded and new fabric put on. The chairs just need to be scrubbed with an S.O.S pad to dislodge some of the loose rust, and then get oiled or poly'd.  But sadly, with the cold weather we've had, scrubbing them in my laundry tub just didn't happen.

Oh, I got projects done...the bigger ones, the ones that are the foundation of the groupings, the big anchor pieces of furniture that need to be there, or we don't have anyplace to set anything...

  

I worked hard: acquiring, sanding, rebuilding, adding hardware, polying.  And I felt good with what I had accomplished.

But there's still all these unfinished projects...

Life is full of unfinished projects.

The house you're moving away from, and you never got to finish...

The relationship that ended through separation or death, that needed more to be said...

the trim in your dining room that's been primed for several years...

This Holy week, don't let your unfinished project be your relationship with God.  It's so easy to consume ourselves with the bigger, more pressing tasks.  Take the time.  Think hard about it.  Go see the movie, "God's not Dead" to ask yourself the hard questions.

The only project that is completely done, for eternity, is salvation.  We just need to accept and enter into the most important task and relationship there is.

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished."  With that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30 NIV)

 

Comments

[Kasey Hanson]

Hi Lora,
I love getting a glimpse into your creativity, and I also love your encouragement to stay focused on the finality of the cross. Beautiful pictures! What a breath of fresh air! Thank you!

[Lora Bloomquist]

Thanks for commenting, Kasey! I just love to celebrate Christ's gift of salvation this week! Happy Easter!

[Ellen Chauvin]

Beautiful! Thank you for the reminder! I would so love to root around in your store! I loved how your tied all the unfinished projects to the main finished project - The Cross!

[Lora Bloomquist]

Ellen,
Thanks for reading! I wish you were in MN to shop at our store! Guess you'll just have to check our "monthly themes" category and window shop!

[Abby]

I really enjoyed this post, Lora. I wish your shop was closer because it looks like one I would love! It's wonderful how you take old, forgotten things and make them new again. I saw the movie, "God's Not Dead" this week with friends from church and really enjoyed it. It's so true that other projects can be put off for a time, but our relationship with God needs to be the center of our lives. Thanks for this beautiful reminder!

[Julie Lefebure]

"Don't let your unfinished project be your relationship to God." I love this, Lora. Thank you for your post! Happy Easter to you!

[Lora Bloomquist]

Thanks for the feedback Abby & Julie! Enjoy celebrating the risen savior this week!