Somehow me and Mom ended up with an old kitchen cabinet.

It was dirty, so Mom got me a brush and some oxiclean...


....and the paint came off. IN CHUNKS. 
Literally just years and years (probably dating back to the 1930's-1950's somewhere) of paint layers, from the top coat of off-white to grey and then to black. 
I realized we had a mess on our hands, but at some point we took a step back, looked at it, and realized how Fixer-Upper like it could be. 

There really is potential in it, but we haven't gotten to finish (or start). 
A neighbor of mine is moving, and gave me all these acrylic paints. It's not like I have some great place to store a mini art studio, so I hauled 'em out to the screened in porch, loaded them into the old kitchen cabinet, and closed the doors.

Then I opened it again, and, it felt like celestial music was playing in the back round.

                      can you hear it?


Life is a bit like this chipped old cabinet.

It's got so many flaws, and ugly splotches, and a black beginning. The hinges might be a little awkward, the shelves have an odd scent, and, most people would probably ditch it in the dumpster a.s.a.p.

Yet...

The white makes it bright, the light makes it peaceful, and the chips are scars from old history and lessons now learned.
And inside?
there's enough paint to beautify 30 canvasses.
And somehow, a person can look at it, and think, "I love this ugly thing"

and smile.

...

And you know what, I'm that ugly thing.

And God is that person.

...

No matter how flawed, chipped, or dirty we are, if we have Jesus inside us, we are gloriously beautiful. Just like the expensive acrylics in the old cabinet.
So be beautiful, today, my friends.

Do you relate to the old kitchen cabinet?