Dark Threads

The two bits of decorating advice I’ve put most heavily to use (and therefore know to be effective) are:

1. Hang your curtain rods halfway between the ceiling and the top of the window
2. Every room needs a little black

In college, nobody loved black more than we graphic designers did—and that’s saying a lot considering 1)it was the 90s, and 2)we were competing with film majors.

Focusing on number two, black really is essential to a balanced space. It’s an easy-sell classic for good reason: black cooperates with every style of home and sophisticates every color palette. Black is grounding, but too much black can feel heavy and overwhelming. Still, a good designer can make even excess black work. My sister has a black wall in her modern farmhouse living room and I scarcely notice it. It’s beautiful because of all the light that surrounds it, as well as the way she has dressed it.

I recently read this section from “Wounded” and, oddly enough, the black decorating tip was the first thing that came to mind:

Although the details will differ, the tragedies, the unanticipated tests and trials, both physical and spiritual, come to each of us because this is mortality…

We search for happiness. We long for peace. We hope for love. And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings. But intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days, sometimes years when your soul will be wounded.

The scriptures teach that we will taste the bitter and the sweet and that there will be “opposition in all things.” Jesus said, “[Your Father] maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich or the poor, to one culture, one nation, or one generation. They come to all and are part of the learning we receive from this mortal experience.

Our wounds may come from a natural disaster or an unfortunate accident. They may come from an unfaithful husband or wife, turning life upside down for a righteous spouse and children. The wounds may come from the darkness and gloom of depression, from an unanticipated illness, from the suffering or premature death of someone we love, from the sadness of a family member dismissing his or her faith, from the loneliness when circumstances do not bring an eternal companion, or from a hundred other heart-wrenching, painful “[sorrows] that the eye can’t see.”

We each understand that difficulties are part of life, but when they come to us personally, they can take our breath away. Without being alarmed, we need to be ready. The Apostle Peter said, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, the darker-colored threads of trial and tragedy are woven deeply into the fabric of our Father’s plan. These struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers. (Andersen, Neil L., “Wounded”, October 2018)

I am thankful for the reminder that dark threads of adversity are not oxygen-robbing strange things; they are Heavenly Father’s essential decorating trick for a beautiful life. If every room needs a little black, and every life tapestry needs a little black, we better make sure black doesn’t turn us bitter. I love black, but I want to be punched in the face with it as much as the next person—and that's sometimes how life feels. I am certain black has been purposely placed, here and there, in each age and season of my life to make my tale timeless and universal, to give it depth and heft. When life has seemed overwhelmingly dark, the Lord has helped me confront it creatively. Together we’ve achieved a deliberate and beautiful balance. It is so very important to seek for extra light when there is too much black. 

"The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught" (Doctrine and Covenants 3:1). I mean this in the most reverent and respectful tone: God is a designer, and good designers use black. If we are to become like Him, we must also learn to deal with doses of dark.

We must learn to decorate with black.