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One of the things I inherited from my parents was a love of
beautiful wood, especially oak. So over
the years, I have refinished a good number of pieces of furniture, making it
possible to acquire some beautiful and functional furniture at a very reasonable
cost. Those who know me and have watched
my projects come and go have seen my love/hate relationship with this
hobby. Even after several attempts, I
have not learned any strategy to make the process of stripping off the old
finish easy, fast, or pleasant. I don’t
enjoy wearing goggles and heavy-duty gloves, the stench, dealing with chemical
burns, or gathering up piles of steel wool pads soaked with stripper and old
varnish. But still I take on projects,
and not simply as the means to get some nice furniture for little money.
Despite the hate part of refinishing furniture, there is a
love part as well. As the old varnish
and stain come off along with the dirt and stains accumulated over years if not
decades, I get to see the beauty of the wood that was hiding underneath. The imagination and thoughtful design of the
creator becomes apparent. It is
wonderful to see the unexpected beauty as a newly stripped surface emerges. And then there is the delight in making the
beauty functional and lasting by completing the job with a series of finishing
coats.
I believe that the pleasure I take in refinishing furniture
reflects my calling as a Christian counselor.
As a counselor dedicated to helping people build their lives on the
truth of Christ, I assist in the “stripping” process—the hard work of
identifying long-standing hurts and repenting of the sinful, self-protective
habits that have developed in response.
It is a hard and painful time, and it is hard for me to find pleasure in
it. But I know that if my client
perseveres, we will get to see the amazing person who has been hidden under all
the years and layers of sin dirt and coverings.
And then we see the glorious purposes that God intends for that person,
highlighted by the “finishing coats” of God’s redemptive work.
It is not difficult to see how the Lord’s sanctifying and
redeeming work in us is like refinishing.
And now that we are looking at a new year, the concept of New Year’s
resolutions arises once again. I am not
a fan of New Year’s resolutions because they generally represent a self-focused
effort in which performance is emphasized.
If, however, we come before the Lord, ask Him to search our hearts, and
put our lives in the hands of the Great Refinisher, we can be reformed and shaped
in amazing ways. We need not fear the
need for correction and sanctification.
Just like the refinishing of furniture, the process can be long, hard,
tedious, painful, and at times downright ugly.
But the result—a beautiful life made new and glorious for the Lord’s
glorious purposes—is worth it.
