Master Craftsman

Tomorrow, we are laying to rest my uncle Jim Fruechting. Jim passed away this week from complications of Parkinson's disease. It is a hideous disease that in his case caused his brain to sort of short circuit, and not properly communicate with his respiratory system. Consequently, he would go into respiratory distress, and would have bouts of struggling just to get another breath.

Although uncle Jim never was formally recognized, he in my mind was a master craftsman. He loved to take old dilapidated furniture, strip it all down to the natural wood, and then sand, stain, seal and reassemble the piece into something that was as good as or better than the original. His patience was nothing short of amazing to see. Each piece was painstakingly doted over to make sure it was done just right. I remember once seeing a pile of wood on his garage floor, and I thought he had just put a pile of trash there to get rid of. He said no, it wasn't a pile of trash; it was an old spindle chair that he had purchased at an auction. I thought he was nuts! There was no way that pile of wood could be a chair! He called me a few months later and asked me if I remembered that pile of wood. He invited me to come over and look at it now. He had turned it into a beautiful spindle chair much like the one in the picture above. What I saw as a pile of junk, he saw as a beautiful piece of furniture that just needed some tender loving care.

I had the good fortune of having him refurbish an old cedar chest of my mom's that I am passing on to one of my daughters. It is absolutely beautiful. Whenever I see that cedar chest, I will always think of uncle Jim and his love for restoring things that others have given up on.

As uncle Jim was able to see potential in a pile of broken, unassembled wood, God sees the potential in our lives, broken as we are. Others may give up on us, but God never does. He lovingly and patiently works on "stripping" away our sinful nature, "sanding" away our rough edges, putting our broken lives back together into a vessel worthy of service to Him. Thankfully our God is not like me who sometimes cannot see the potential in brokenness, but rather sees the good and potential we have in service for Him.

Uncle Jim, thank you for the valuable lesson you have taught me about patience and seeing the potential in everyone. I know you are now resting comfortably in the arms of the true Master Craftsman.

De Colores