It’s just a board, about 6 inches wide and 30 inches long. To me, it’s among the best I have. For some time now, I have been looking at it. My wife gave me a new saw for Christmas; since shop tools are among my favorite gifts; and I’ve been thinking what I might make from this board.
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It’s a special piece. It is walnut, a beautiful wood to admire and to work with, enhanced by the rich walnut colors and lovely grains. This walnut came from my cousin’s Kentucky farm, from a tree that could have been a century old. His farm contains much timber; and once a year he arranges for a portable saw miller to mill the fallen timber. That tells me “my” board was environmentally acquired and will be usefully repurposed.
Working with wood is a spiritual experience for me. Jesus obviously worked with wood. He was a carpenter; and wood is the basic element of carpentry. Once upon a time, the tree from which my board came was just a tiny shoot; and God Himself nurtured it to beautiful maturity. That knowledge makes me feel good and deepens my resolve to use it well. I used some other lumber, again a gift from my cousin’s farm, to make Christmas gifts. I picture those gifts being a source of joy to others for years to come.
In a few days, it will be a new year. I hope to use this piece of walnut in the New Year. Many of my projects are years in the making. However, I am not as young as I once was, and maybe I should hurry more in my shop.
Best of all, using this bit of lumber — this fragment of a tree — gives me a chance to be creative and join hands with the Creator. God instructed the prophet Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and watch the potter make a vessel from a lump of clay. (Jeremiah 18) In my case, I get to be the “potter.” The material I will use is not clay, but wood — yet another substance in God’s creation. Hopefully, I can fashion something lovely and useful. If I succeed, I will feel fulfilled, for after all, producing love and beauty is what I hope to do with my life.
You can email Bro. Paris at [email protected].