Old Things: Day 2

Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

I Corinthians 10:24

There is one other very real element in my situation that could not be ignored. It comes in the form of a ten-year-old grandson who is a sensitive and kind-hearted boy. Our daughter, his mom, calls him “a feeler.” He is also big for his age and full of energy. When I looked at the too-close buffet, It was not hard to imagine him jumping up after dinner to follow after one of his siblings, knocking over his chair and smashing that glass to pieces. And feeling just terrible about it.

Do I want a home or a furniture store? Homes need space for people—including grand-children—to be and do. After all, it is people, not buffets, armoires or Chippendale chairs, who possess eternal worth.

The decision was clear, if not easy. It was at this point I asked God to give me peace about doing what I had to do and, if possible, find appreciative homes for my solid, don’t-make-things-like-they-used-to furniture.

Once I acknowledged my need and asked God to release me from the burden of my emotional plight, He gave me almost immediate peace.

Then our son, who I thought was only vaguely aware of the situation, called to tell me that a young couple on his softball team had purchased an old Arts and Crafts home and wanted to fill it with antiques. I sent them pictures, and they selected the buffet and another great old piece. Next, our daughter-in-law decided she could use two of the smaller pieces in the room they are decorating for their new baby. When the Salvation Army truck came, they took away some really usable, basic pieces like a sofa and a chest of drawers. Call me silly if you like, but I sent those pieces off with a prayer that they would be used and loved by a family for years to come

Speaking of old things, prayer is an old thing, too. It goes back to the Garden of Eden when the first couple met God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8,9). Can you imagine those conversations? There were no emergencies or deep sorrows in that perfect world; so Farmer Adam probably kept his Father apprised of the peach crop and the upcoming birth of the tiger twins. And God loved it! I just know He loved it, even though as Sovereign of the universe, nothing escaped--or escapes--His knowledge (Matthew 10:29).

Of course, prayer is for deep valleys and inexpressible sorrows; but prayer is also for the daily, especially when something in our internal world is out-of-kilter. The object is not to make God our errand boy, but to invite Him, His perspective, and His healing, into our heart and into our day.

Nancy Shirah