Layer Upon Layer
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9
I recently refurbished a small oak play table for our grandson – sanding it, then applying coat after coat of polyurethane varnish, with light sanding in between each coat to prepare for the next one.
Oak has what I would call an open or coarse grain, and to prevent drips, I could only apply a light coat of varnish at a time. So the first two coats went on well, but there were many small pores in the grain that weren't sealed. In a play table those are great places for grime to build up or bacteria to thrive.
Clearly there was more work to be done. On to coat three. Then four. Then five.
I was definitely making progress at this point but not done yet. Tiny pores were still appearing as the varnish dried. Only after seven coats of polyurethane, plus some extra buffing and waxing, did the table have a truly resilient finish.
Now, I'm sure some people find their faith in Christ in a single moment, but my own journey has been more like refinishing my table. For me, service work – mission trips, shelter weeks, packing lunches or cooking for Cass are the experiences that really build faith, while soup supper fellowship, choral anthems, messages in sermons, and organ meditations are important preparations for the next layer of service and faith building.
Humans are not perfect, so there will always be more work to be done, but it is comforting to know that every form of service, worship, and learning – as each layer of varnish – is building our Christian resilience.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord for presenting opportunities for our service as the hands and feet of Christ, and for allowing those opportunities to grow our faith in Christ. Amen.
Bob Rossbach
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