Repurposed

You can tell I don't have infants anymore because I'm getting back to crafting.  Recently I took this birdcage I had purchased at a yard sale in college, painted it, cut out some wires, added some dowels and hooks, and gave it a clear coat.  Now instead of collecting dust it is a decor item in my bedroom that is both useful and interestingly beautiful. 

 

By adopting Joni I thought we were doing something similar but on a much larger scale.  By taking a baby languishing at an institution and bringing her home into a loving family she would become a productive member of society with useful roles as a sister, daughter, grand-daughter, niece, and friend.  I assumed after little TLC and intentional therapy her inner beauty and God-given talents would emerge and bring beauty and light to the world.  And this is true.  But unlike my little craft projects, it hasn't been only me who has been doing the hard work.  In fact, if anything I have gotten in the way of the creative process.  Most of her progress is due to Joni and her Heavenly Father.  Furthermore, I've discovered it's not only Joni who needed a make-over.  It has been a family overhaul, mostly centering around my own sanctification process.  It is much harder to be WORKED ON then to WORK ON something/someone else..at least for me.  I only hope and pray that at the end of this I can be described as someone useful and interestingly beautiful.  Joni is there already.