A couple of Saturdays ago, my husband headed out for his regular weekend errand to the hardware store. I reminded him that we were in search of replacement feet for a new couch. The couch, an on-line purchase, cost us very little but it needed nicer legs.
He returned finding none at the store but suggested that he could easily make some. Checking a pile in the shed, he located some wood scraps to use. “They’re black walnut,” he raved. He then sketched a drawing with measurements, making sure the size fit the wood and that I approved. The design seemed to ideally suit the sofa.
Within an hour, my husband cut and fit a prototype and then completed the other three. Wood stain and varnish were applied and he let the pieces dry. By afternoon the legs were ready to be attached but special screws were needed. He took care of that too and the little couch wore perfect new shoes!
The sofa looked amazingly better with shaped wooden legs than it had with the original black plastic knobs. Sitting on it was also surprisingly more comfortable with another inch or two of height. I smiled that my husband had so easily crafted the new legs, seeming to enjoy every step of the project.
My husband learned his wood-working skills from his Irish grandfather. As a boy and teen he spent many hours accompanying his grandfather on handyman jobs. Most of his grandfather’s contracts were for painting and carpentry. My husband gained valuable skills over those years and, like his grandfather, had natural aptitude and found pleasure in wood-working.
Wood-working skills run in my family too on the Irish side. Although my grandfather was in business and retail, his store eventually specialized in “fine furniture” so he and my uncles became experts in furniture design and wood types and finishes. Two of my cousins continue in the wood-working business and I think my brother has “the knack” too.
All skills have value but carpentry is particularly useful and creative. Building brings satisfying results to both the maker and the eventual user. Basically all work, a job well done, rewards the worker and benefits the recipient (see blog post “The Work of Your Hands” March 2, 2017)
Jesus probably spent about twenty years in a carpentry shop working alongside his earthly father Joseph (Matthew 13:55). Though he needed no human fulfillment he experienced the tension of a puzzling project and the contentment of a finished product. He also knew about cutting errors, deadlines and nasty customers. I imagine that Jesus built as attractive a piece as Joseph’s small shop could sustain. Jesus was a carpenter before he traveled and preached, taught, healed, and performed many miracles, and then was nailed to a roughly constructed wooden cross for our sake.
One last thought that occurs to me regarding the little couch is the big difference just new feet made. The simple sofa looked and felt so much better! It causes me to ask myself, what small changes should I make for a noticeable improvement, especially considering Jesus’ death for me? It’s a prayer worth asking. “So then, since Christ suffered … you will be anxious to do the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1a, 2b
