By Lee Stiles
My husband is an amazing man. His life and his experiences and how he had overcome them are a picture of God's amazing Grace.
He has amazing talent for taking broken or mundane things and turning them into practical works of art. Recently, he tried his hand at making a river table/bench for our new en suite. The process he went through to create this gorgeous piece echoes within my spirit as a picture of God's workmanship.
He chose a scarred and broken slab of Camphor Laurel - a tree considered to be a weed - to create a truly beautiful bench. He told me that every ring in the timber was actually a scar from damage that had occurred to the tree during its life. All of this hidden within its trunk. Each of those scars formed the precious character of the timber.
To prepare the timber, he painstakingly sanded the surface. Using many grades of sandpaper to remove all the roughness on the surface and within. Then, when the timber was completely smooth and bare, he started his transformation process. In the most broken, naked and empty part he poured a pearlescent river. This process took many days and happened a little at a time. Then more sanding and more pouring. When this was set, he used resin to seal and saturate the timber. Then more sanding and care. Then a pouring of resin to completely cover the timber, then more waiting and care to make sure the work was kept dust free and undisturbed while it set. Then a final pour and more waiting and care. And then there it was, the most beautiful piece of timber I have ever seen.
My amazing husband had turned something ordinary into something magnificent! The rest had brought out the character of the timber and every scar was now a feature which made it so much more beautiful.
As I looked on his gorgeous work, I saw a picture of how God works in our lives. Ps 139: 13-17 gives us a picture of a Father that knew us before we were. Just like the weed tree, our heavenly Father sees our potential and the beauty we have within. Eph 2:10 gives us a picture of how Jesus enables us to be who we are called to be. Just like all the time and effort put into sanding and waiting, Jesus gave up everything to make us new. Just like the resin poured over the timber, the Holy Spirit seals us and transforms us. Rom 12:2 encourages us to be transformed.
In the process of making his bench, the process of transformation was revealed. The timber never complained, it allowed itself to be transformed into its full potential.
I believe that our God is hard at work in each of our lives. Sanding-off the rough edges and revealing the true character and beauty that lies within. In the innermost broken parts of us, He is pouring in a river of His love and grace. He is in the process creating a masterpiece in your life.
Will you let Him?