The Old Chairs

January 4, 2023

I’m working on fixing up old chairs. There are a lot in the barn and the attic that need some major work, from reupholstering to replacing cane webbing in seats to tightening up some joints. There are a few other problems I haven’t figured out how to fix yet; they’ll be a real challenge.

Most of the chairs have been in the family at least fifty years. It would certainly be easier to get rid of them, just buy something new, but I choose not to. My patient effort will be rewarded with a sturdy piece of furniture that will last many more years. Some will be so improved as to be unrecognizable. Others will have new fabric, making them infinitely more attractive.

Was Jesus thinking similar thoughts as he worked in his father’s carpentry shop? Was he seeing the future work he’d do in redeeming the lost?

Jesus died that we might become children of God. When we become Christians, the refurbishment begins. Like an old chair, we are worth fixing up! Some may take more time to make something beautiful out of. Some of us will be changed so much that old friends will barely recognize us.

Is there anyone not worth renewing? Are any of us beyond repair? Not in God’s eyes.

We are very familiar with John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The next verse, though, is the one I thought of as I repaired another chair. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

All I’m saving is chairs. Jesus is saving souls for eternity.