The Perfectly Imperfect Trunk
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For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not by works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9
Last year I found this trunk from the 70s. The rugged look was noteworthy in itself. However, the leather handle had rotted away, and rust was eating away at the top. So, I really wanted to do something to preserve it.
Then I researched how to recover old metal trunks and found many good online resources, mostly from antique restorers and crafters.
What I Used
To begin, I bought the following items: A big steel wool brush (to scrape off the rust and old paint), Black Acrylic paint, Mod Podge, Burlap fabric, Paint Brushes, Origami Paper or Cardstock for the inside, Razor Knife
Tackling the rust was the first task. Pacing myself was necessary because my hands got very sore using the wool brush to scrape. It took a good hour or so to get a few inches clear of rust.
So, first I took a long time getting most of the rust and chipped blue paint off. After that, it was time to paint the edge pieces with black paint. There was a good fabric store in a nearby city, where the fabric could be seen and felt before buying it. I settled on a nice burlap with French words and images covering it. A website I read said that burlap sticks the best using Mod Podge.
Then I took my time to measure and cut the burlap to fit the surfaces of the trunk with a little extra on each edge. The burlap pieces would be a bit larger than they needed to be, with the intention of cutting the excess off with a razor knife. That way, the burlap would not be too short.
I then painted the large surfaces with Mod Podge. Immediately after that I smoothed on the burlap fabric, and then painted with more Mod Podge on the top. The burlap was expensive, so I bought just enough of it to fit.
The Disappointment in My Failure
Although I intended to restore the trunk as a personal experiment, I was unhappy with the outcome. Perfectionist issues are discouraging for an artist, especially one who is a little clumsy (like me). I was very unhappy when I began cutting the edges of the burlap because they did not look perfect. I frayed some pieces and wanted to peel off and redo the entire burlap . . .
Perhaps the flaws would not be too obvious to others. But how would I feel each time I opened the trunk and saw the jagged edges glaring up at me?
Those imperfections reminded me of myself and my jagged edges that I desperately want to change, such as things I say and things I do. Things that make me who I am but aren’t quite “perfect.”
At one moment, I had to walk away from the trunk. I had worked so long and hard on and I had done my best on it . . . My artwork made me anxious and I had to pray to manage my emotions. I couldn’t really afford to redo the whole thing and asked God to help me accept the piece as it was.
The Redemption
God’s answer? “This piece of art is perfectly imperfect.” This was all I really needed to hear.
I know this is how we are too. We are God’s creation, God’s work of art, and we are perfectly imperfect. We are perfect in our imperfection.
