Southern Indiana Living Magazine - Jan / Feb 2023

Ilike to make fake stuff. Over the last
couple of years I’ve built a fake tree,
cave, fishing boat, house, stable, manger,
city gate, castle, throne, temple,
ark and movie theater lobby among other
things. It’s amazing what you can do with
wood, foam, paint and a little imagination.
This all started when my church
needed someone to build sets for Bible
dramas and teaching videos for our kids.
I knew nothing about set design, but since
I was willing and available, that made me
the most qualified candidate for the job.
Dozens of hours of YouTube later, I was
off and running building sets of every
shape and size.
I had no idea what I was doing, but
in the process, I discovered the wonderful
thing about making fake stuff. It didn’t
matter! As long as it looked okay in the
background and was sturdy enough not
to fall on any actors, we were good to go!
Unfortunately, my wife saw me
building all of these sets and got the
wrong impression. She thought I could
make real stuff. That’s how she ended up
volunteering me to build a dining room
table for my mother-in-law.
My mother-in-law had just moved
into a new house and couldn’t find a table
she liked that fit her space so at one point
my wife said, “I guess Jason will just have
to build you one.”
What?! I had never built a piece of
decorative furniture in my life. Ever! Sure,
I’d thrown together a backyard clubhouse
and a loft bed for my daughter, but those
were both rough construction, nothing
pretty or finished about them.
Now, for my first attempt at real
furniture, my wife wanted me to build a
dining room table of all things, something
that would be used every day and seen
up close and personal by any guests who
dropped by. No pressure, right?
Unlike my sets, this thing didn’t
have to just last through an hour-long
video shoot, but needed to stand the test
of time. Oh, and it didn’t just have to look
nice in the background but when people
were eating on it only inches away.
I was happy to try it, but seriously, I
had zero experience, which I made abundantly
clear to everyone involved. However,
as with the set work, I was willing
and available, and that got me the job.
So the next thing I know, I’m back
on Youtube, trying to figure out how to
pull this thing off. I’ll spare you the tedius
details of the building process, except to
say it did wonders for my prayer life. I
lost track of how many times I said, “God,
please help me not to mess this part up.”
To make matters even worse, right in
30 • Jan/Feb 2023 • Southern Indiana Living
Everyday Adventures
the middle of this project, I had to build a
fake table for church. Oh, sweet fake stuff!
It was so easy! In a half an hour I’d built
a shell out of some left over fence planks
and stuck them on the front of a plastic,
folding table. It looked great.
I sent a picture to my wife and I
asked if she thought I could get away
with doing the same thing for my motherin-law,
but for some reason, she wouldn’t
go for it.
Somehow, by the grace of God, I
eventually finished the table. It doesn’t
look terrible, and as of this writing, still
hasn’t collapsed. I call that a win.
The other win is the lesson I learned
along the way. Building something real is
hard, but totally worth it. It’s true in carpentry
and true in life.
For instance, real friendships are
hard work. Faithful marriages are hard
work. Intentional parenting is hard work.
But all of these pay off because we’re
building something that lasts.
Even our intimacy with God,
though made possible only by His grace,
is also hard work. There are times when
we don’t feel like praying, reading the
A Tale of Two Tables
Bible, forgiving someone who’s hurt us
or serving someone when we’re busy. Yet
all these things draw us closer to the One
who made us and allow Him to transform
us into the people He created us to be.
The good news is that, though all of
this takes effort, we have a master carpenter
who loves us and is willing to do the
Unfortunately, my wife saw me building all of these
sets and got the wrong impression. She thought
I could make real stuff. That’s how she ended up
volunteering me to build a dining room table.
heavy lifting. Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless
the Lord builds a house, the work of the
builders is wasted” (NLT). So don’t get
discouraged with the hard stuff in life this
week. Lean into God and remember that
He is building something great.•
Photo credit: JeniFoto / shutterstock.com
Jason Byerly is a writer, pastor, husband and
dad who loves the quirky surprises God sends
his way every day. You can read more from
Jason in his books Tales from the Leaf Pile and
Holiday Road. You can catch up with Jason on
his blog at www.jasonbyerly.com.