Our family’s coffee table was looking pretty shabby. The paint was chipped and the wood was scarred from the repeated abuse by Matchbox cars, crafting supplies and hours of primary math and spelling homework. I loved this table and the memories held in each ding and scratch. I loved it so much that I couldn’t allow it to remain in its current condition.
We moved the table to the basement and started the refinishing process. With each sanded layer, we began to uncover the table’s deep, ugly wounds. We sanded until the top was soft and smooth. There were still some marks, but surely with some stain, they would be unnoticed.
Each one of us is a lot like that old coffee table – a little worse for wear with scars left by sin or mistreatment. Some marks of life are pretty deep and painful if we’re honest. We do our best to cover up the hurts of life so that no one notices us in our true state lest we suffer rejection. But, God loves us too much to leave us in our wounded state. He has a beautiful life to offer us full of grace, forgiveness and healing. When we surrender our hurts and brokenness to Him, He lovingly touches each one of our wounds to reveal the beautiful life He intends for us through His Son, Jesus.
The beauty of our family’s little coffee table didn’t come with removing its gouges and scars, it came with beautifully revealing each one. Scars give character and definition. Each mark tells a story, and each one of yours is a part of your story. It’s when we allow God to heal them, that His grace makes them beautiful.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 6:13
