Fresh Paint, Fresh Colours, Fresh Life

We are on the homeward stretch! The painting of Linwood House has an end in sight, and although it has taken many weeks to get this far, it has been an amazing labour of love with many many hours of volunteered time. The new colours are slightly different and just enough to give it a wonderful fresh look.

Yesterday as I was out painting the craft cottage I thought a lot about how long it takes to get renovations, restorations, and new colours on a place. It takes time, patience, team effort…it is a process. There are the uncomfortable high places to climb up to and the low places were I simply sat on the ground to paint.

This parallels the whole concept of Linwood House Ministries – the process of restoring colours to the heart in order to life to be restored. The Journey, our partnership with Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, gives women from the streets the opportunity to come to a place that is vastly different from their daily environment. Not only is the scenery different at Linwood House, but God wants them to begin to see how beautiful they are, soul deep beauty. Abba wants them to begin to see that they can exchange the dark colours of the heart and soul for fresh new colours that put Jesus Light within. The process of this exchange takes enormous contributions from volunteers who give their labour of love at all hours of the night or day. Each of us must walk in the uncomfortable places, whether high or low, where God can do the restoration work necessary. Time, patience, community, and choosing the change, asking Jesus for change are the “colours” we need for this fresh colour, fresh life.

The painting is almost done but life has continued as we have worked. The process involves constantly moving, working toward completion.

I think we will need to have a party to celebrate the finishing of Linwood House’s painting!

Abba loves to celebrate the fresh colour and fresh life in everyone who chooses the hard work, the labour of love that is healing.