Cabin Scent

"Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely." Song of Solomon 2:14b

Wielding a crowbar and hammer I dismantled the mud room down to the original wood siding. It was an exhilarating experience to finally be rid of the ugliness I'd become accustomed to for twenty years. With all the white-washed, cedar clap boards removed, the weathered insulation discarded and the dirty, worn rug tossed onto the back lawn, a beautiful, familiar scent invaded my senses. Camp!

Taking a deep breath, my mind's eye brought visions of summer camp into focus: campers loaded with suitcases and sleeping bags trudging through the wooded, dirt paths toward their designated rustic, wood cabins; new friends and reuniting with old friends; camp food, silly songs, snack shack, craft shack, lake-side swimming, cute boys, hopeful hearts, thunderstorms, humid days, chilly nights with bonfires and chapels. Camp meant two weeks away from home, enveloped by the natural world, drenched in God's presence. Away from the normal routine, camp was the place where my heart-changing decisions were made. It's where I allowed God to pull off my old facade of white-washed clap boards and expose the beauty that laid beneath the ugliness I'd become accustomed to.

As these precious memories lingered around me, I considered leaving the mud room in it's natural beauty and rustic camp cabin scent. I looked at the walls again and there I saw the water stains, the nail holes, the rough finish and splinters; all wounds left behind from one source or another. Then God whispered to my heart, "There's much more beauty to be added. Just as I exposed your natural beauty, who I created you to be, you were not meant to be left with gaping wounds. Only in the healing of your wounds are you able to find true beauty."

I look forward to a new door, clean tile flooring, and the scent of freshly painted walls. It's the same room with a new beauty and a better purpose... just like my life.