THIS UPDATED BLOG
WAS FIRST POSTED IN 2012
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith
My dad loved to work with wood and the smells of freshly
sawn boards and piles of sawdust still evoke memories of a happy time. Dad always dreamed of living in a house built
with his own hands. Some days he would
go help a friend who built houses, framing the shell, nailing shingles or
hanging doors. I’m not sure if he did it
for the experience or the satisfaction of seeing something come together he had
helped build. Many years later, this
friend’s daughter told me her dad always said there was no better “Finish
Carpenter” than Deloy Hawks.
A “Finish”
carpenter is the important crew member that adds the last little touches to
complete the project. There may be a few
inconsequential gaps between the drywall and the floor but once the finish
carpenter nails the last bit of baseboard in place, who would know. The posts on the porch may be just rough wood
poles until the finish carpenter surrounds and trims them turning the porch into
an elegant, inviting portico. The home
or project may be just as serviceable without the finishing touches but not as
appealing or valuable to the occupants.
How did all of this come from Hebrew 12:2? It took me back to a special project my dad
was building many years ago. It was a
gun cabinet for a friend. This was not a
self-assembly kit with numbered pieces and detailed instructions. OH NO,
my dad was clearly the AUTHOR of the
project; it was his design. His hands shaped and lovingly fitted every board
into its precise place. Even beautiful oak boards can have flaws but that was
no problem for the “author.” I watched my
Dad as he took a “hand or block planer”
and slowly shaved away the flaws until he could run his hands smoothly over the
surface. Once Dad had assembled the gun
cabinet, the finish work began.
If you have always purchased furniture from a furniture
store, you have no idea the hard work that goes into the rich finish. It takes layers of stain for just the right
color, then a layer of polyurethane, sanding, more polyurethane, more sanding
and more polyurethane until the desired depth and richness is attained. I still remember the way the felt-backing was
painstakingly glued to the inside and the Amerock hardware was installed on the
doors and drawers. Finally, the day came
when Dad took a step back and with pride announced “She’s finished!” Dad was the Author and the Finisher of that gun cabinet from the first nail to
the last hinge on the door; it was his creation.
As, the memories faded and the sermon became more clear,
suddenly, Hebrews 12:2 took on a whole different meaning to me. I’m not just an old lump of clay that someone
had formed into a pot then sent to the finisher to be glazed and fired, nor am
I an ugly rock picked up to be cut and polished into a valuable diamond. I
AM A SPECIAL CREATION, AUTHORED BY GOD.
He formed me with great plans in mind.
As I matured and the pieces began to fit into place, each part of my
life was lovingly orchestrated for my good, according to His plan. At times a rough spot has to be planed, a
bubble in the varnish has to be sanded or the lining has to be repaired, but I
am in the capable hands of the “Master
Finisher.” There is still a little
finishing to be completed to fulfill God’s ultimate plan but as is so
eloquently stated in Hebrews 12:2,
I’m “looking unto Jesus the AUTHOR and FINISHER of my faith.”
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