As I’m becoming “friend-sharpened,” the blades of my life and my tools are cutting much better. I’m planing down ancient boards that were once given to me by my friends Ruth, Leonard, and Dawn. As I’ve planed and sanded down the cherry, oak, and dark walnut boards, each board has a story to tell. Each one has a unique history. Each one has imperfections. But when you begin to add varnish or stain to the wood, the grain begins to pop out. It projects the personality and stories of the wood. Each one is beautiful!
Yesterday, I was outside staining and varnishing the boards, my dad walked over, and he marveled at the beauty of the wood. He said, “when each of us are planed and sanded down, our true grain is exposed.” We can’t really hide it. If our words and our actions haven’t already exposed our true self over time, then our non-verbal communication gives us away. People know whether we really care and love them or not. People discover our work ethic. People learn about our level of commitment and our faith. We can’t really hide it.
I wonder what happens, though, when people begin to see our true nature. What happens when we begin to see the imperfections and character flaws of one another? Why do we act so surprised by the sins of other people, and we try to explain away or try to hide our own sins?
What’s equally disturbing to me is how people respond when they’re given positive attention. Once again, our true nature pops out like the grain of wood when finish is applied. Pride and arrogance scream, “Look at me!” or “Let me tell you what else I can do.” Insecurity and shame blush and look for the nearest place to hide or escape the positive attention. Why do we get so uncomfortable when people stop to notice and affirm one another? Is it because some of us have gone so long without being noticed and deeply loved?
My friends who gave me their beautiful wood represent an incredible, timely truth. Each one of us are made in the beautiful image of God. We’re each flawed by sin and imperfection. But we are forgiven because of the sacrificial love, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. My friends have gone through incredible hardships in their lives. They’ve each struggled with pain and problems. But that hasn’t kept them from loving and giving to me. Their lives are being healed and restored, and the gifts they’ve offered me have changed my life. I’m building and celebrating because of the generosity of their life and their faith. The love and joy of Jesus has been lavished on me through their gifts of wood to me. And each piece of wood talks and tells a story.
Although you may not yet believe me, when we’re planed down to our essence, we are made in the loving image of God. Our true nature is to love one another deeply from the heart. We may still be defending against love, building walls to protect us from being hurt again, or making excuses for not getting out there and loving hurting people. But God is relentlessly pursuing us with His restoring love. He wants to heal us and restore us. He made us to be fresh expressions of His redeeming love in the lives of one another. He wants to build His Kingdom in and through us.
I used to hate the imperfections I found in wood. I used to hate the imperfections I found in my life and the ones I found in your life. But because of the transforming love and grace that I’ve received from God and from His people, I now enjoy, and sometimes celebrate, quirks and imperfections instead of trying to hide or ignore them. I like telling the stories of God’s work of grace as people discover my imperfections. I love to love imperfect people, for those are the only ones you’ll find.
When people go against the grain of my life, I respond by…
The more people get to know me, they eventually discover…
I like to display God’s love and beauty through my…
“May the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows towards you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)