On nothing he ever made did I find a rough spot.
Dad was a perfectionist. When he found himself pastoring a small country
church, leaving him little to do during the week except prepare his sermons and
make a few visits, he decided to take up a new hobby: woodworking. He began
with small things, like small picture frames on which he glued pictures he had cut
from calendars or other places.
When Dad transitioned to a larger church, which took more of his time,
he kept the hobby. He put all the tools and tables he had purchased and made
under the carport, making it impossible for Mom to park her car there. By this
time, he had graduated from smaller to larger projects. He even made Mom an
entire bedroom suite.
Eventually, all of his family members had something Dad had made. But
one thing no one would find on anything he made was a rough spot. He sanded,
then ran his hand across the wood. If he found a coarse area, he sanded again. He
repeated the process until the wood was as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
I’m sure Dad had a reason for sanding until the wood’s surface was
smooth. Doing so made the varnish easier to apply, and it sure made the
furniture easier to dust. I’m sure if the wood could speak, it would have told
how much the sanding hurt.
James talks about a type of sanding God does—or, at least, allows. God
calls His sanding trials, and they come to everyone. Enduring them produces
perseverance, which in turn makes us perfect and complete.
I was born with sharp corners and rough edges. The Bible calls them sin.
I arrived in the world with a sinful nature. My environment and circumstances further
developed it, but I didn’t appear with a clean slate, making it possible for me
not to need God’s help.
God performs His first sanding when I ask Him to forgive these sins and
give me a new nature that wants to love and serve Him. But I need more sanding
than just that first experience. I need a few trials … a few troubles … along
life’s way. Maybe even a number of them.
Through the trials, God sands some more. And, like Dad, He runs His hand
over my life to see if any rough spots still exist. Priorities. Unhealthy
relationships. Are other things stealing my focus? Am I only squeezing a little
time in for Him? Have I missed the boat financially? If so, He’ll sand a little
more. And He’ll keep sanding until all the rough spots are smooth—a process
that takes a lifetime and one that’s not always enjoyable, but needed.
God sands because He loves us. He wants us to mature into more than we
presently are. He desires spiritual growth that will form us more into the
likeness of His Son, which is His ultimate purpose and plan for us. Through
God’s sanding, we learn to depend on Him, rather than ourselves.
Don’t resist God’s sanding. He has good purposes for it, and it will
work for your good.
Prayer: Father, help us to respond appropriately when You sand us.
Tweetable: How do you respond to God's sanding?
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