A Bit of “Before and After” Theology and Psychology

Close to Eden, on earth

I like to think theologically and psychologically. One of the things I enjoy as I study God’s Word is learning what it can teach us about human behavior. It is another aspect of my “divine design.” And psychologically and theologically, I believe that we can understand a great deal about human behavior from the first three chapters of Genesis. This is true for the “before and after” transformations of homes and lives. Let me explain.

Eve was God’s perfect creation. In Eden, she lived in unspoiled perfection. It was all she had ever known. But Satan lied to her. His words made her think that she was not enough, but that she could be something more, despite the perfection that God had created her to be. Instead of trusting God, and going to Him for confirmation of her identity, she fell for the lie that she was less than, and literally fell. And so, we all lost perfection. We all lost the Garden Home.

I believe that deep in every soul is the common memory of life in Eden, that perfect place in which man and woman walked with God. When we lost Eden, the desire to return was imprinted in every person born after The Fall. This common desire lives in hope that despite the ugliness of life in this fallen world, we can regain the perfection which once existed. As a result we work to transform life into something better. Every person I have ever known dreams or imagines some way life could improve.

Humans try to achieve this in different ways. Some pursue power and leadership, or money and fame. It may be something personal like improving your home, your physique, your family life. Or it may be improving some aspect of the world such as eradicating racism, homelessness, poverty or illiteracy. But a quick look at culture shows that up and down the economic scale, people work to change and improve.  

Many women long to transform their house into the perfect home: visually beautiful, friendly and welcoming, like Eden. But many of us face limitations in creating the perfect home, be it money or time or inspiration or the children God has given us to raise. I believe that desire to improve come from a deep seated desire to regain something of Eden.

Author and designer Myquillyn Smith, known as The Nester, loved design but faced limitations in creating the home she wanted. She turned to do it yourself projects and transformations. She learned to appreciate the journey as well as the result, even when the result was limited by her resources, time and money. She coined the phrase “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful” on her blog, and it became her mantra. She transformed the imperfect and limited into the beautiful, using creative resources and her gifted imagination. From her limitations she created a lovely home.

I believe that The Nester personifies that common longing for Eden, the longing for something more beautiful that lives in us all. She felt that desire to take the imperfect and transform it to something better. One of her key goals in the transformation of her spaces is creating the feeling of cozy peace and calm. Now she shares how to do this with others.

Her message about transforming the physical world of her home has a deeply spiritual component. As she reveals the transformation of her spaces, she also plants a seed of belief that more of life can be transformed than just the home. Despite the imperfection of this world, we have the opportunity to transforms our souls.

Whether The Nester knows it or not, she preaches the transformation of the Gospel through her before and after projects. She acknowledges the imperfection as she strives for the beauty. If we acknowledge our own spiritual ugliness, our separation from God and our need for a Savior, that Savior will begin the transformation that our souls need.

The Nester is not just a woman writing about home design. She carries the memory of the Garden of Eden, and speaks from the hope of the Gospel even as she transforms spaces. In doing so she fulfills God’s design in her own life.

Grace and peace,

Briane