Sanctified Sanding
Have you ever sanded wood? I mean the long process of using several diminishing degrees of coarseness until you have a beautiful reflection of the wood grain patterns brought out by the glassy smooth finish? For those of you who may not have much experience with the process, let me tell you an interesting detail that I’ve learned. (Please note, I do not in any way consider myself an expert at woodworking. Compared to professionals I am an apprentice at best and, to be honest, sanding is not my favorite part of woodworking as it is a long and tedious process for one as ADD as myself.)
Take a roughhewn board and using 50 grit sandpaper sand away. After achy shoulders and numb hands, you will find the wood much smoother than when you started. You will tend to think it looks pretty good if you’re like me, you might even be satisfied enough to stop there. However, if you take 80 grit, repeat, then 100 grit, then 220 grit etc. you will begin to notice something interesting. After each round of sanding different scratches emerge that were not previously noticeable. You’ll see the new levels of scratches removed, revealing more of the pure grain lines until the natural beauty of God’s wood grain design reveals itself.
Why the woodshop metaphor you ask? Well, my boss is a Jewish Carpenter for one thing and I get a special sense when doing woodwork and reflecting about how He did similar things. Secondly, I don’t remember any of His parables referencing woodworking at all. I recall His talking farming, fishing, sheep, oil, lights but nothing about wood. If I’m wrong let me know, please. Perhaps as “The Carpenter” knew His eventual path would lead to roughhewn beams on which He would tortuously suffer, bleed and die He set His examples on other things? I don’t know and can’t imagine what carrying that knowledge was like.
It struck me that as some of the rough areas of my life seem to smooth out with a bit of effort my pride can quickly jump up and down and shout “look how spiritual I am becoming”. But upon closer inspection I see more and more scratches (read moral defects) in my life. By the way, when my pride jumps up and down and wants to be so self-satisfied, it’s like dropping a sharp chisel on the board I just spend 4 hours sanding and putting a big gouge in it. Aaah! If you’ve done it, you know what I mean.
My Carpenter is so different from me. He is patient with this process, where I want to hurry up and finish. He who began this work in me will continue until I’m exactly the way He wants me. He knows that a perfectly sanded finish, with a proper coating of oil (of the Spirit), will bring out the natural God-created grain He made. When He looks at the glass smooth finish guess what He sees? A reflection…. Of Himself, in me. Wow.
Sand away, Jesus, sand away.