What empowers you? I have a really simple idea.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
DISSATISFACTION
What empowers you? Have you ever thought about it?
I was going through the IKEA catalog tonight having decided I needed to do some updating to my tired-looking house.
Maybe some new dining room chairs. I’m going to paint something, black but I’m not nuts about the chairs no matter what color I would paint them. I’ve already taken the doors off the matching hutch, painted it black, and love it. But looking through the catalog got me thinking.
REDOING
Why is it that we are always “redoing” something or another? And most of us are. There are thousands of decorating blogs that attest to this. (I do know a couple of people though, who never think about redecorating. There’s something wrong with them, I just know it.
Does it have something to do with empowerment, I wondered.
I put this post aside for a couple of days and had an experience that I think helped me answer my own question.
One of my best friends battled a virus for a couple of weeks. When she started feeling better, we decided to get together. It had been a crazy summer for both of us, with lots of family events, etc. During the height of her illness, her sister (who lives in another country) and had only recently been diagnosed with cancer), died. My friend’s husband died less than two years before that. She pretty much felt like her life has spun out of control.
An example
Anyway, we were sitting in her living room, and she mentioned how she wanted to redecorate the room. She was tired of it. We talked about colors and new pictures. Well, I got busy, and because I’m a frustrated decorator, I started moving things around and suggesting some other changes. I suggested a small project she could easily complete the next day without taxing her strength. She was doing much better by the time I left. She felt just a little more empowered, a little more in control.
Even when we give God control of our life, there’s nothing wrong with feeling like in some small things we have some control. It might be that by having control in little things, we find it easier to give God control overall.
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On the way home, I thought about this whole “redoing” thing and why so many of us are obsessed with it. It’s not a bad thing, either. Most of us want our living environment to be pleasant as it just helps us feel better. And then I thought about control.
CHANGE IS GOOD
But I wonder if some of it is because we feel some control when we change things around. Many people I know feel much of their lives revolve around the needs of other people, children, spouses, parents, and careers. It’s not that we don’t willingly embrace it all but let’s face it, we often think we’ve lost control.
Creativity and empowerment.
When we move a few things around, add a new pillow, paint the candleholders a different color, etc., it gives us a sense of having some control in a part of our lives. Not to mention it feeds our creative urge. My friend felt empowered and more in control by what we did and the possibilities of what she could do. She couldn’t prevent getting sick. She couldn’t stop her husband or sister from dying. But she could change a few things in her living room.
With the economic crisis, an ongoing pandemic, and the Ukraine war, I think most of us need to feel a little bit empowered and if re-arranging a few things and brightening up a few things accomplishes that, why not?
Empowerment and depression
When I was depressed, I felt very much like I had no control. But I found the simple act of re-arranging some things helped, no matter how small. How about you? Does “re-doing” a few things around your house empower you? Have you ever considered the connection between re-decorating and the feeling of having some control?
Besides, almost all of us feel better when our environment is pleasing. Could that be why God created such beautiful vistas? Could that be why being outside enjoying nature is so calming?
I would love to hear your comments.
God bless, and have a great day.
