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 • <strong>Jan</strong>/<strong>Feb</strong> <strong>2023</strong> • <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Indiana</strong> <strong>Living</strong> 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.
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