The Redeeming Business

I felt like with a little time and effort, this chair could be redeemed.

A couple of weeks ago, my hubby and I picked up some chairs at a yard sale. We needed some new chairs for our kitchen table. They weren’t very attractive. They had definitely been used and showed some wear, but when I sat in a couple of them, they were very solid. They didn’t wobble in any way and they were comfortable.

It looked like it would be impossible to fit them in the back of my car, but we played a game of Tetris with them and found a way.

My daughter looked very doubtful when she saw our purchase. She wasn’t sure how we would redeem them. Since we bought seven and only needed six for our table, we decided to update the first one to be a desk chair for her. She still seemed very unconvinced as we shopped for fabric, but I knew there was something special there.

It took my hubby a long time to take that chair apart and then I sanded it to remove the old finish and prepare it for something new. Next, I painted it with a very durable oil paint that can stand up to all kinds of abuse. While it dried, my hubby and I reupholstered the old seat and back with new fabric.

We had to wait a long time for the oil paint to completely cure before we put the chair back together. But, boy, was it worth it. The chair looked brand new. It was hard to believe how ugly and beat up it had been.

My daughter was thrilled with our new creation.

It was hard to believe it was the same chair.

I really enjoy giving new life to old beat up items that to the casual observer, appear to be unredeemable. Perhaps it’s because that’s what walking with Jesus does for us.

He often finds us when we are beat up and ugly, seemingly beyond repair. He finds us when we have been used and damaged from living in this broken world.

But, then He takes all of those nicks and scars which come from hurt, anger, shame and many wrong decisions and He sands them off with grace and forgiveness. He gives us a brand new interior that spills over onto our exterior.

The new creation in Christ becomes almost completely unrecognizable from the place we started from. We feel shiny and new and we can’t help but shine the light to those around us, inviting them to join us in our new found peace.

A beat up chair from a yard sale reminded me that we are never too far gone for Jesus to redeem us; that is after all, His business. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂