So I know it is a bit of an unusual title; let me explain. I am a finance manager by professional trade however I do enjoy doing a little woodworking on the side. I have only completed one real project (my boys' bed) but I have done trim work and whatnot...enough to realize I enjoy it.
With the recent enlarging of our family from 2 to 5 little ones in just over 6 months, my wife made it plain to me that we needed another high chair. While I have had the best intentions in making her one, time has just gotten away from me. So being the supportive woman she is, she went to her best resource to find one...Craig's List. She found a beautiful solid wood Jenny Lind style highchair. It was exactly what she wanted. And the price...$30. Can't beat that. It was well loved meaning it needed a little refinishing work. And so, thus begins my musings from an amateur carpenter...
So I, like any good man, went to my best resource to figure out where to start...Google. I found a TLC web article that was very thorough in explaining how to transform this battered chair into a masterpiece. I began working on it today. As I worked, I got to thinking, how can I use this to explain the Gospel to my children. So here it goes.
Understanding the first piece of the Gospel is paramount to grasping the enormity of Christ's sacrifice. The first piece is recognizing our own depravity. In terms of this high chair it is a thorough examination of the state of it upfront. We must take notice of every imperfection of the wood as we will need to treat those carefully as to not cause further damage to the piece of furniture. Sure in a snapshot on Craig's List it looked to be in perfect condition. At first glance, even in person, it looked to be adequate. But as I further examined the fine nooks and crannies, I realized this was not going to be as simple as I thought. In terms of the Gospel, I have to acknowledge my own flaws and sinful elements of my heart. Sure, in the eyes of the world I may be a "good person," but as I as I examine my heart using God's standards, I realize that there are many imperfections and flaws. From a distance it all seems held together and my life appears to be well lived. But the truth of the matter is, I am depraved to the core. Scripture states in Isaiah 64 that even our righteousness is as filthy rags. So even my best still falls short of God's standard. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." It is clear by looking at this highchair that there is a lot of work to do. Once God opens our eyes to our sin, it is also clear of the work to be done. But take heart, this is just the beginning of the process.
So we move on. The next step in this wood project is stripping away the varnish. For those that have attempted this, you know this is a MESSY process. My research found that there are three ways to remove paint or varnish...1) mechanically, 2) heat or 3) chemical. The goal of all three methods is to separate the layer of paint or varnish from the object you are trying to refinish. As a side note, I chose the chemical option. Thus begins the process of using paint stripper. Did I mention this was a messy process? Such precaution must be used. If you have ever gotten paint stripper on your skin, you know that it burns quickly so you must wear gloves and if you have them, protective glasses. I didn't have glasses so I just have to be careful. It was interesting that the longer the paint stripper sat on the tray of the highchair, you could see patches of dirt appear. I found that fascinating as it is so reminiscent of the next step in the Gospel...repentance. Falling on our knees before a Holy and Righteous God is like applying the paint stripper. It can be painful but it is necessary in order for God to strip us of all our unrighteousness. It is funny that as we begin repenting of our sins, the one from the surface are easy but the longer we repent, the sins down from the depths of our soul rise to the top much like the little patches of dirt I mentioned from the tray. As we purge our heart and mind of all unrighteousness, God is able to scrape away the layers of junk (i.e. worldliness, poor language, pornography, bad attitudes, rebellion, greed, pride, anger or rather sinning in our anger) from our hearts. I found with the tray that I had to apply stripper more than once in order to scrape all of the varnish away. (Actually still in that process with the highchair). But we must be clean a pure from our iniquities in order for God to use us for his purpose and for his glory. Repentance is a difficult task as it requires us humbling ourselves and acknowledging our own depravity. It is a necessary step...Matthew 3, "...Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is near." However, once we get to this point, we are ready to move on to the next part of the process. In terms of the wood we are stripped to the raw state and ready to have stain applied and a new coat of varnish to become a new work of priceless beauty. Once we are broken before our God, he then applies his "stain" to our hearts. It is then that we realize the blood of Christ, shed for our sin and the body of Christ broken for us that we might have eternal life...Salvation
...to be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment