Lessons from a Carpenter

Sure I was disappointed when the picnic table which matched the rustic wooden chairs and love swing started to rot - very badly - enough that the thought of sitting on either bench gave us anxiety. It was time. I saw the two braces for the table and pointed out that they looked like crosses. They were already attached with a spike and so an idea was born. One day we would erect a larger Cross in the pretty little patch in our backyard where we had installed lighting and Birds of Paradise. 

One year went by. Then two.Then three and on and on. This is year 7 and that is a perfect number, so we figured why not stain, seal and install Jesus's Cross on Resurrection Day? 

Please allow me share a short story about this wooden Cross and why we wanted to install it there in our backyard before we even uncovered the two small crosses from the rotting picnic table. Every year for 25 years for our anniversary we vacation in Anna Maria Island, Florida. Our very first year we went we found a motel-type of accommodation on the beach and with a beach-front park and restaurant just out front. It was so special and beautiful though a modest efficiency with a Juliet balcony (love!). It was pet friendly and on the beach and perfect for us. 

However, the best part was just below our Juliet balcony, a dark-stained very large Cross stood with a royal purple fabric drape. It was Easter time and the owners loved the Lord. I can still envision looking down and seeing the dark purple fabric wave in the salty breeze. Overhead Australian pine trees rustled in the wind as I imagined angels flying overhead and making the swirly drafts just to see the pine needles dance (Isaiah 55:12 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2055&version=NIV).  

Fast forward and here we are 25 years later. We gathered all of the parts for our very own large Cross. The smaller 2 - which represent the Thief on the cross and the other who was hung. As I stained the pieces today in the hot midday sun, I was reminded of the sweat and tears Jesus shed on our behalf. I saw my sweat hit the plastic tarp and was convicted not to complain as the pain Jesus endured for me was so much greater. I became thirsty and immediately thought of how Jesus thirsted while on the Cross. They gave Him gall to drink. Which was not kind. It is not water but vinegar and would have increased His thirst. How often do I pass by a stranger thirsty for a smile? Or worse, how often do I offer gall to someone who is thirsting for life-saving advice or just someone to care? 

I stepped aside to drink a cup of water. It was cold and quenched my thirst. Jesus provides all of my needs and water is a need which is spoken about so much in the Bible. A favorite verse is John 7:37-39 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+7%3A37-39&version=NIV. 

I had a moment of doubt that the stain was too dark from what I imagined and God reminded me like Thomas, to not doubt (John 20:24-29 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+20%3A24-29&version=NIV). Much prayer went into this project and my husband's choice of stain allowed me to see the grain as the wood quickly dried in the hot sun. It was not just what I had imagined - it was so much better. We plan, but ultimately it is God who orders our steps. Yes, this was the perfect stain. 

I thought I was done staining all the pieces and then saw the large vertical beam to the side of the tarp. It was too large for the tarp so I had set it aside. I had forgotten the most important part of our project. I had already taken off the rubber gloves and put the stain away.

Unlike our imperfect nature, God never forgets anything. He even is going to present us a white rock with a special name that only He could come up with when we get to Heaven! In the Bible, there is only one reference to God giving us a white stone with a new name: “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17).

As I hoisted that long beam up to place it in the shade against the house to stain, I was reminded of Simeon Luke 2:25-35 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+2%3A25-35&version=NIV. What was he thinking when he carried Jesus's Cross? Did he know where he was going or was just following those who sought to kill the King of the Jews? 

I chose a shady spot so I could recover from the sun. I felt refreshed. Jesus spent time with His Father in the Garden the night before His death. He often found rest and relaxation in nature - on a mountain, under a tree - so many places He found to rest in God's creation even though the Bible tells us He had no place to rest His head! Matthew 8:19–20; Luke 9:57–58.

The dark staining resumed. Darn! It splatted onto the white gutter. I wiped it up and resolved to cover it with rags so I would not make a mess again. Before I covered the gutter, I thought of the blood that was shed at Calvary. My stain was not red but it was dark and reminded me of the darkness of our sin. How we make a mess of it all. How our sin leaves stains though we try so hard to hide the residue of
our mess. 

Yes, I got to the gutter too late and it had dried stains which I could not clean up. The gutter is white. God sees us as pure as white snow when we repent and come to Jesus with a pure heart. Romans 8:9-11:

⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^[a]

We will one day wear robes of white. The dark stains of sin do not show - not even a residue of the sins of our past. This is only possible because Jesus is standing in front of us and God only sees His perfect son who is blameless. This is what Jesus did on the Cross. He removed our sin. I like the vision of rose-colored glasses. Ever wear a pair? The whole world looks pretty. Pretty in Pink. We are Pure in White when we are humble and come to Jesus.

I placed all the rags (which were also white) onto the white gutter to protect it. I finally finished staining. I looked down at the gutter and saw big blobs of stain on the white rags. When I removed the rags, the gutter was white with no marks where the fresh blobs had hit. I thought I had used all the rags and so I smiled when I saw that one was still folded from where I grabbed it from the garage. I could not help but be reminded of the grave clothes which had been folded in the cave where Jesus was carefully laid after His death on the Cross. If His grave clothes were not folded one may have assumed Jesus was not conscious. There was no one with him in the sealed cave who could have folded those clothes so neatly. The folded grave clothes are just another example of love God gave us that day. God wants us to "get" it. 

I was not prepared for the surprise I got when I moved the small crosses and horizontal beam off of the blue plastic tarp. I was aghast and then sat down and cried. I was so humbled to see the outline in stain on the tarp. At first I thought of when there is a crime scene and the bodies are outlined in chalk on the ground. Do you know what I am talking about? Anyways, Golgotha was a crime scene so I should not have been surprised by this. A crime was committed by all of us. No one is deemed innocent as we put Jesus on the Cross. But God planned this before the foundation of the world before any of us took our first breath or were even conceived. Some people struggle with this. They feel it is cruel and unthinkable for a Father to allow his son to suffer and die and especially in the way Jesus did. Jesus had not done anything wrong. And then to let the thief Barnabas go! A lot to unpack when we think on that Resurrection Day...

And I have heard others say, "I will not trust a God who does that to his own son." 

I get it. But because God allowed Jesus to suffer and die for our sins, this is the greatest Love Story of all time. Adam and Eve ushered in sin for all generations. That outline at a crime scene would be our fate if not for Jesus. The story would have ended there. In the morgue. But it didn't.

And so, I did a little cartwheel in my mind and turned that blue plastic tarp over. I laid on it and did a snow angel right there in the hot FL sun. And yes, it remained blue without a hint of a crime scene. Our sin was paid. Our crime paid. All residue of sin and stain gone forever.....

The second to last step before digging holes and filling with cement was sealing. Of course we used outdoor polyurethane. However, God seals each person who comes to Him in repentance and belief (Romans 10:9-11 again) with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity and leads, guides, and directs and convicts the child of God. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor. Jesus left the Holy Spirit when we ascended to Heaven. 

For our project today, I know the sealer will preserve these special Crosses. Also it will help repel insects, rain and stop the stain from fading. When I think on my Christian walk, I think of Bible study, worship, and serving God as protective and necessary elements in my daily and weekly existence. I do not do any of these things because I have to but because I want to. I am sealed with the Holy Spirit. I am forever in the family of God! 

The last step was digging the holes. I was not prepared for the challenge of digging the holes. First, we had to make best choices after choosing our first spots because there were water pipes and electric lines. When we realized the second best spots for each, we also realized digging would take much longer and not be as easy as we had anticipated due to the rocky, sandy ground. We got through it after several dips in the pool and icy drinks. And the verse that came to mind is a powerful one!  Psalm 40:2 https://biblehub.com/psalms/40-2.htm. The rocks were dug out and scattered around the finished projects as a reminder of the firm foundation we have in Christ.

Hebrews 9:12, 26

So by saying “it is finished” Jesus was signaling to the Jewish world that there was no more need for sacrifices or temples because that his work brought ultimate fulfillment to what their sacrificial system foreshadowed.

And it is finished. And so is our beautiful and special Easter project which was born 25 years ago in our hearts and our minds but the time was not right until now. God's timing is perfect..

Thank You Lord. What a special time of worship. And my hope for whoever reads this blog today is that you will pause and take time to look up. Count how many planes or birds go by. Look for clouds that look like animal crackers. Take a deep breath. Inhale the Goodness of the Lord. Smell the roses (or the polyurethane). Make a snow angel in the grass even if it is 85 degrees and a paint tarp is your pretend snow. Just do something that makes you smile and feel alive. Someone else today is Alive. He is Risen! He is Alive! He is no longer there . And this in that cave. 

This why we celebrate. I hope you enjoyed this blog entry today. Please reach out to me if you would like to know more about Jesus. I would love to study His Word with you and answer any questions you may have. You can also find me at https://www.bluewaterbro.com. Blessings! xoxo Christina