Restored

I was driving along and I noticed a bold, red sign: Garage Sale! I proceeded comically slow, contemplating if stopping was worth it, as I was chauffeuring my 2-year-old son that day. At the front of unwanted heaps of overconsumption, there it was. A "good bones" antique chair just staring at me. The deep brown wood was engraved with a stunning pattern. The back of the chair was bordered with thoughtful floral cut-outs. I stopped, unloaded the toddler, and began meandering up the driveway, feeling ready to haggle. Resting on top of the fabric, which someone clearly upholstered in the 80's, was a tag reading $5. No need to even negotiate on the price...sold. After cramming it into the passenger seat of my little Chevy Cruz, it was time to get it home and prep it for some reupholstering. After I gloved up, I noticed that the fabric was being held directly to the wood by rusted upholstery nails. It appeared to be just a handful of them, but upon the removal of about ten, I discovered at least 100 more. They were holding on to not only the fabric, but a cushion made of burlap, straw, and horse hair. It was also clear to me that this chair had been reupholstered (recklessly) approximately 3 times already. I could not simply throw new fabric on at this point. A real, clean cushion would need to be installed, and the original cushioning and fabrics would need to be gutted. This project quickly became much more work than I had anticipated.

Is it not true that outward appearances may not match what is going on inside? Ideally, these things would be consistent with one another.  We strive to be the happiest and most fruitful we can be. Unfortunately, there isn't a single person who hasn't had experiences that get in the way of overflowing joy. We can try to project what we wish we felt during these trials, and it seems like such an easy "fix" to do this. When we get those first nails out and choose to ignore the mess hiding underneath, we are not being properly restored. The obvious things, such as jealousy, anger, and impatience, may start to surface. We sometimes hope that we could eliminate such things by simply laying a new piece of fabric over them. However, it can't truly be pulled out until we investigate what's going on inside. What is causing us to feel the way we feel, and compensate in the way we compensate? I presume that it's mostly due to things we experienced in childhood, heartbreaks, trespasses, and regrets. These are the types of factors that we become aware of, but don't feel particularly excited to address. We have all undergone suffering and brokenness. These things affect us whether it's obvious or not. The Lord says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 ESV). When it's time to start pulling out the impediments that we have stuffed deep inside, we can trust that God will not betray us. He will support us during our character purification. 

After hours of removing nails, I was finally able to see the frame clearly. All of the fabric and hay did not infringe on the view of the frame. Along the way, I did have to leave in some nails that were not intentionally meant for the structural support of the chair. They were placed in a way that made the removal of them chip at the frame. I began to see these particular nails as mistakes. They were things that could be removed, but the impact would scar the wood. I realized that because I was not a skilled craftsman, I would have to outsource the job. We can try to heal ourselves, but it will not be complete if we don't have faith in God. He is the most skilled craftsman above anyone and anything else. His delicate hand can repair all wounds and make us whole. 

With the frame clear, the rebuilding could finally take place. The renewal was worth all of the meticulous tinkering! The cleaned out inside would now support the fresh fabric... it was now whole. The chair could now be appreciated and useful again. God wants to use us so badly to expand His kingdom. We should be open to the repair of the broken parts of us to accomplish our purpose. We know this because “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14, ESV). He knew what would be hiding under the surface and the cause of the turmoil. With Him, we are equipped to make the repairs. He lovingly restores us.