I don't normally post pics of our furniture that is literally "coming apart at the seams", but the Lord used this piece of furniture to, once again, change my perspective and teach me something. I was recently bemoaning the fact on FB that they truly don't make things like they used to and workmanship is so poor that furniture and appliances last a miniscule portion of the time that they used to last. This couch is 5-7 years old (my mind can't recall exactly) and it's matching counterpart hasn't fared much better. Since there is no money to replace them any time in the near OR distant future, I have resigned myself to this view. Ugh!! I don't have to have fancy, but I do struggle with exposed stuffing...so call me shallow! ;O)
I had a lot of people commiserate and share their own frustrations, whether it be furniture, washing machines or refrigerators. I had one lone friend share something with me, though, that stopped me in my tracks. My sweet friend, Jori, pointed out that couches in our house age in a way similar to dog years because of the number of people we have in and out on a daily and weekly basis. She said 5 years for us is like 20 years for most "normal" people. (Don't worry, I've already got the sign that acknowledges we know we are "special"! ;O) ) But I digress...
I realized, with Jori's help, that this couch DOES represent many, many individuals who have been in our home and sat on this couch. People who have stayed with us marvel at the revolving door of relationships that we encounter daily. This couch represents countless friends of our kids who like to come and hang out to laugh, watch movies or share their stories...whether our kids are here or not. It represents individuals who are broken, struggling with seeing themselves as having value and worth in the Lord's eyes. It represents hearts who have surrendered and left changed. It represents couples in love and just beginning their journey together as they work thru pre-marital counseling. It represents marriages that have struggled and sought counsel for restoration.
I remember huddling with my sweet friend on this couch as her husband itemized pages of sin in his own life, shattering their facade of a stable family unit. This couch cradled her as her world crumbled around her and we wondered what the future could possibly hold for them. In the months to come this couch held this same husband as he napped on many a Sunday afternoon, removed from his home for an extended period of intense counseling and restoration...broken because of the depth of his sin. The months were long, but the healing was real and we watched a miracle unfold before us in our friends and their marriage.
Oh the stories this couch could tell if only it could talk. Stories of pain and hurt...courage and determination...brokenness and restoration...joy and celebration. It's a couch that tells a story, not just of an industry that doesn't value workmanship that lasts, but of a God whose Word endures forever and is still changing hearts. It may not be the prettiest one out there, but it reminds me of a beauty that can only be found in God's economy of doing things. So if you come to our home and sit on our couch please know I won't apologize for its shabby appearance because, just like us, behind its outward appearance is something much more valuable!!!
Matthew 6:19-21
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."
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