Perseverance

hope

Aug 31

Sometimes, I need a lesson in perseverance.

Recently, God used one of our furniture projects to teach me more about persevering.

It started off really well.

I was excited at how quickly I was able to update this table.

The chairs were another story.

It seemed everything was troublesome.

The table sat waiting for me to get the chairs finished.

Unfortunately, while waiting it was blocking a portion of the garage.

So, things got placed on it when we were trying to access the storage beyond it.

Which eventually led to a large scratch across the top of the table.

The person who accidentally caused the mark was really upset with themselves.

I wasn't too thrilled either, but upon hearing how it happened it was understandable.

We went out together to look it over.

God allowed that scratch to show me the polyurethane had gone bad.

It was peeling back off the table from both sides of the scratch, definitely not a good thing.

So, we hauled the table back to the shop for it to be sanded down again.

Afterwards, I repainted it with a "weathered" appearance, liking it better than before.

I was excited when I put the polyurethane on, until it began to dry.

The hated yellow of bleed-through began to show.

All the extra sanding had allowed the stained wood to seep through into the whitewashed top.

I can't express how terrible it looked, and I didn't take a picture.

"Well, the polyurethane will have to be sanded off again," I stated through my disappointment.

Our son grimaced, since that is his job, and it would be the third time he'd have to sand the same project.

I didn't blame him, I was frowning, and on the inside, I felt like crying.

"I need to walk away," I stated as gently as possible to our son. "I'm really sorry this has been so tough."

(I love how God uses our children in our lives.)

He shrugged it off and smiled at me.

"It'll be okay, Mom"

I needed that and walked over to give him a hug.

Not only did he sand it off, but he also put the primer on, because Shellac is the only thing that deals with bleed-through and I can't handle the odor.

We carried it back to the garage and I painted it with multiple coats of paint and then polyurethane from a brand new can.

I'd finished painting the chairs, but hadn't been able to get the seats recovered.

Handsome, (my husband's nickname) pulled all the staples, but I had to wait to get the fabric cut.

Jase and I tackled the project the next day and since we were recovering those two chairs, I figured we'd do a third for a different dining set.

I cut the fabric and got the chair seats recovered.

We walked these to the garage to place them on the chairs.

We both stared at the gray chairs with the new gray and white fabric.

It looked terrible.

Somehow, the shade on the fabric made the shade on the chair look old and dingy.

I grabbed the other seat we had done in a different fabric for another dining set and placed it on the chair.

"Yeah, Mom, that works."

I smiled a little ruefully, since I knew switching the fabrics meant undoing all the work we'd just done.

But, it was for the best, because when looking for backing fabric, I found another upholstery fabric which looked better on than the gray and white on the second dining set.

And after some prayer, I realized why God allowed it all.

Four of our own dining room chairs needed to be recovered and the gray and white fabric looks great!

My heart is full of gratitude, for the Lord's patient lessons, especially when I'm struggling with understanding.

In circumstances like these, when I don't understand, is where my faith grows the most.

Praise God!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your patience. Thank You for this lesson in Persephone. Lord, I know there are people throughout history who have endured far greater trials and walked with perseverance. Thank You for them and their testimonies. Thank You for how You use the little things as well as the big ones in my life. Lord, as I step into today, I humbly request Your guidance. Lord, I'm struggling with fear and I know that's not Your will for me. Thank You for all You are doing and for calming my anxiety. Thank You for teaching me to rest in You while being diligent, preserving through thick and thin. How I love You, Lord! Thank You for first loving me. Amen.

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