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Calloused Hands

by PamFord Davis  
4/08/2009 / Devotionals

Do you enjoy building projects, maybe making extra wall shelves or a book case? Are you drawn to the closest Lowes or Home Depot? The finished products might award you blue ribbons!

I once refinished my kitchen cabinets in a used mobile home we purchased. I could see potential buried under about 30 years of grime; and decided I could handle the job. It turned out to be a monster of an ordeal! I did not use all the latest home improvement tools. Instead I used elbow grease and enough sand paper to hang on my walls! My hands became blistered and maybe even calloused temporarily. The finished product of bare wood covered with clear varnish made the effort worth the drudgery! The doors featuring new hardware knobs and hinges brightened up the kitchen and I took pride in my hard work!

The appreciation of wood is in my Ford blood line. My Dad and Grandfather at times were both employed by the prestigious Stickleys' Furniture Company in New York State. My father's duties included furniture sanding, rubbing stains and oil into the quality wooden pieces, and polishing the workmanship. It needed patience and persistence to bring out the highlights within the wood. The sanding process did not destroy a masterpiece; it became part of the creation process!

Have you heard the story of precious pearls? A lady's treasure began inside an oyster in the depths of the water. A small grain of sand is surrounded by a luminous piece of calcium carbonate. That sands friction is the pressure needed to form a gem, a work of art!

Why do we resist friction in our lives? God uses those times of pressure to create us into His workmanship! "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10 NAS)."

In scripture oil represents the Holy Spirit and is poured in wounds for healing,
(Luke 10: 34) and applied for anointing (Psalm 23:5/ Mark 14:8/ James 5:14). Oil preserves and nourishes wood and God's children can receive benefits as well.

Are you a polished product? Do you shine for the Lord? "Let your light shine before men in such a way they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16 NAS)."

Dads' hands bore the marks of sanding treasures. I wonder if our heavenly Father has calloused hands.

Published articles in Mature Living Magazine, Devotions for the Deaf, The Secret Place, Coosa Journal, Mary Hollingsworth's The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter, Jo Krueger's Every Day in God's Word. http://www.pamforddavis.com
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