Broken Furnishings

"Let's get rid of this old end table," I exclaimed, crouching to make my point. "We've had this since we were first married. It doesn't match anything, the back leg is cracked, and the scratches look awful."   
       
My husband raised his eyebrows. I knew what he was going to say. We couldn't afford to buy a new one.  

I was tired of living with broken furnishings.

I opted to stack books and magazines on top of the table to disguise the scratches.   
 
One evening, I plopped down wearily onto the sofa (which sported a broken zipper on the back of a cushion) and reached for my Bible from the stack of reading material. The following verse caught my eye:  
  
2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'   

The words struck a chord. I'd been selfish, upset about a piece of furniture. I'd neglected to look into my  heart. My faith was as weak and broken as that table leg. 

But God's grace is sufficient.  
 
Living with broken furnishings isn't such a bad thing.  Things can be repaired--or eventually replaced. But what about the furnishings of my heart? Had I filled the room of my heart with love, care, compassion, and decorated it with the presence of Jesus?                  

I thanked my husband for fixing the broken table leg.  And I thanked God for furnishing me with the gift of His forgiveness. It was Jesus' brokenness on the cross that paid for my sins. 
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P.S. - Thirty years later, we let the end table go. It had served us well, even though I'd grumbled about it. Funny thing is, despite the cracked and repaired leg, it turned out to be one of the most sturdy tables we'd ever owned.      

Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com
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