Lessons from Wallpaper

Though I have never papered an entire room, I recently watched one being done. No, really, it was a sight to behold! I was so amazed at the painstaking detail and time it took to slap a few pieces of vinyl stripety apply paper onto the wall. Let me tell you, a person must really LOVE the job, or as was this case, the walls would have to be so much more than terrible that no amount of paint could ever help, because it took HOURS! Let me also tell you- a gallon of paint and one... maybe two hours, and the job could have been done! And I am even talking a faux-looks-like-wallpaper-any-how finish! More on techniques another day...

Well this paper girl did love the job, and was drawing down to the final stretch... less than one wall to go. Now mind you, she had done her best calculations what with being just a home school mom and never professing a degree in engineering, and was getting a little panicked after wall #2 1/2 wondering if there was enough to complete the job. But she persevered, and got down to the last full sheet of paper. There was a little more than a doorway with a thin, long edge on both sides to finish. As she began to roll up the final sheet, she casually said..."this was the first piece I cut!" I just looked at her and thought about that.

Now I am not a real avid wall paper rights activist or anything, but what if that little, left and forgotten sheet of non-repeating patterned paper sitting on the bottom of the whole pile had feelings, and began to feel a little more than disgruntled at the fact that he had been cut first, and every other piece had been waiting a LOT less time to be used than he did. And you know what else, the razor that cut his edge was new and very sharp, and his edge was THE. MOST. STRAIGHT. and not the least bit shredded! How dare Miss Paper Girl ignore him until the very last possible moment!

What if to make matters worse, he had the ability to act on his disgruntled state, and leave the job site. Forget that one little piece of paper was not enough to do a whole room! Forget that at best he might be used to paper a particle board room in some ungrateful child's doll house, or at worst, just discarded as completely unuseful and never used at all.

Well, you know what? If it were not for that last piece, the job would not be completed the way Miss Paper Girl had originally envisioned. And you know what else, there were about four other sheets that would have to be pulled OFF the WALL because they could not be used and have only part of the wall not done. Paint would have to be applied to the (much less than perfect!) wall, and the job would -though done- always look a little less than hoped, like there was just not enough to finish it right.

So... why the title?

Aren't we sometimes like that last piece of paper?

How dare all our skill and talent not be used when we see fit, in the exact manner we imagine, and at the most visible and publicly applauded arena! And in that mind set we take our measly self out of "the plan", only to be used in some second, third, or no rate way. Sometimes, not used at all and it was all because we thought we knew better than the master planner, God himself. And how many others might we affect in our lack of patience that may have to be "pulled down", because we were to be the final piece to the picture, and without our obedience, others suffer.

While I still don't love wall papering, I may never look at it the same way again. Oh the little things that God uses to make a big impact in my life!