If I Can Have Any Room
My apartment is hilariously small. My living room is about the size of a double-sized dorm room–which isn’t much at U of M. My bathroom is not a good option for anyone with claustrophobia. And sadly, it does not have a tub. With a shower stall that gives about ten inches of space between me and each wall, I can never sink into a tub of bubbles and say, ”Calgon, take me away!”
But don’t get me wrong…I LOVE my apartment. It’s cozy and warm, my landlord allows me to wallpaper and decorate the walls, and it has a location that can’t be beat - only minutes away from the Church Office, Diag, downtown, and Library.
However, last week I began to wonder about what it would be like if I had a humongous house. I think it might have been after I banged my knee on a shelf for the umpteenth time. And then I began to daydream: what if I can have any kind of room and space I want? I’ve watched VH1’s Fabulous Life: Celebrity Homes. Aaron Spelling has a room for gift wrapping. John Travolta has a driveway for his private jet plane. If I could have any room to do as I please, what kinds of rooms would I have?
There has to be a private “escape” room that I can use for reading, reflection, and devotionals. It’d have a cushy sofa, a window seat that lets in lots of sun, a glass table for my hot chocolate, and a plush rug for me to plop down on when I’m tired…and of course to kneel and pray 
A music room is a must. It’d be a spacious room with a grand piano and keyboard workstation and also many chairs so that I can jam with my friends. Ah, why not dream big…also throw in there several instruments to make a full band, a mini recording studio, and state of the art music editing programs.
I’d also like an exercise room…it just needs a treadmill, a few dumbbells and a TV so that I can conveniently watch the latest episode of LOST.
A small courtyard would also be nice. It should be quaint, with flowers of every color and a table where I can chat and with friends over coffee.
I used to draw a lot in college, so I’d also like an art room where I can paint and learn something new like sculpting.
And last but not least, a room for…organizing. Yes, organizing. I get unhappy when I don’t have enough time or space to organizing everything in my apartment. So in this room of I’d have all colors and sizes of file folders, tabs, binders, labels, and all sorts of storage items galore. Think: The Container Store.
It was fun dreaming of what I could do in these rooms, and there was even a feeling of calm and peace. And I realized how these rooms represented what I enjoy doing in life. I had gotten so caught up in busyness that it’s become days since the last time I got lost in worship on a piano, weeks since I finished a book, and months since I explored a lost hobby. Times of chilling with friends had become rare, my bin of things ‘to file’ is overflowing, and I can’t remember the last time I stepped into the gym. I am usually facing each day with stress rather than peace and joy.
My daydream reminded me not to get lost in work and miss out on life. I believe we can glorify God just as much with things we enjoy as we do with our work. I think it is a discipline to set aside the time and energy to grow and develop in our individual interests and talents. Even though I don’t have a mansion to fill with whatever furnishings and designs as I please, God has given me 24 hours each day where I can make at least a little room for those things I enjoy. Today I will pick up a new book