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The Buffet in My HeadBy Nita K. Curry It was old, paint-chipped, legs half cut off, and ugly, but I wanted it. It had been my parents when I was a little girl and in my mind (for some reason), I always wanted it for my own. So, last summer I became the proud owner of this useless buffet. My husband just shook his head and couldn’t figure out what in the world I was going to do with it, but I knew. After all, it was all there in my head! I love to take things that look hopeless and rework them. It has been a hobby of mine for years so, with a new project in hand I immediately began to strip off the coats of old, white paint. It took hours, but I didn’t mind because I knew what it would look like¾ it was in my head. So I toiled on and on for hours. I finally got it stripped to the best of my ability. Then I began looking in the garage for that saw I inherited from my dad. Ah, I found it and began a fierce endeavor on the legs. These thick, half-sawed off legs just had to go! I’d put new ones on. I don’t quite know how, but it was there in my head! So, I cut the legs off, somewhat crooked now, and began to put the new, longer, and more elegant legs on. I worked, sweated, and finally grabbed my husband to help me set the buffet up on its brand new beautifully restored legs. We both took an end; set it up right and the legs went in all different directions! My husband, in all of his wisdom, said, "This isn’t going to work; it won’t hold anything." I could have hit him because I knew it would work¾ it was in my head! But it didn’t. The new legs were too skinny to support the weight of the buffet. I worked and worked and worked, trying to force those legs to work. After a while I knew I couldn’t do it, I had to call the master. No, not the Master, but the master at our church who can make old things new. This master has been refinishing furniture for over fifty years and has amazing talents and skills. Everyone asks for his services and advice. I explained that I didn’t want him to do it - I knew he was retired, and I also wanted to be able to say ‘I did it by myself’. I just wanted him to explain to me how I could do it better. He said in this kind, gentle, and patient voice, "Bring it over and I will take a look at it." I obeyed. Our ‘Master of Furniture Restoration’ took his time, and little by little he would tell me of the progress. Then one day I received the call that he had completed the entire buffet and it was ready for my inspection. It was breathtaking! It was amazing! What had once been a crackled, bulky buffet now looked as if it had arrived from a showroom. The once stout and stuffy legs were now replaced with the longer more elegant¾ and sturdy¾ legs. It was beautiful! It was a gift from the heart of the ‘master’ to work hours and hours on this project for me; a precious gift that I could have never accomplished. If I had refinished the buffet to my ability, I would never be writing about it¾ it was in my head, but not within my ability! So often, we are aware of what we are supposed to be "in our heads." We think about it, we pattern our lives the way it has been in our heads since before we can remember, but it isn’t in the Master’s hands. Ultimately, it comes down to pride. Are we too proud to allow the handiwork of the Master to completely take over the project of me? Scripture says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Corinthians 5:17) If I am in Christ, then His handiwork must take over. To be honest, I don’t want to turn out the way my buffet was going when I was finishing it. Instead, I must turn myself over to the Master. After all, His kindness, gentleness and patience are available if I just call on Him. He desires to make each of us His special project. In the past, I have refinished other pieces of furniture without help, but do you think that I want the ‘Master’ to examine these pieces and give me his honest opinion on how well I did? Absolutely not! Still, I mustn’t let pride get in the way of His handiwork. When He says, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" it will be because I yielded to His expertise rather than let my pride do the work. It really comes down to a choice: do I want to be of amateur quality or a showroom piece? ninetyandnine.com © Nita K. Curry, 2000 -------- Nita K. Curry lives in St. Louis, teaches College-and-Career Sunday School students, and is fastidiously trying to live Christ to the Keenager next-door. Her latest dream is to own a small palace in Venice. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in.
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