Refinishing

As we have resettled here in the states, we have discovered that furniture is not cheap! To save some money, my wife decided to buy some old chairs which we could refinish. After buying 57 packages of sandpaper, a can of varnish remover, gloves, scrapers, wood filler, wood glue, a power sander, and lots of paint, I can honestly say that while our chairs look great, it might have been cheaper to just go out and buy new chairs! It certainly would have been easier!

Working with high school kids is a bit like scraping and sanding and painting those chairs. Over the years, some of our kids have built up several layers of varnish, stain, and paint, layers which protect them but also cover up who they really are. Their self-esteem may have been damaged so that now they expect to fail rather than succeed. They are almost assuredly unsure of themselves and their abilities, no matter how confident they may appear. They might work hard to make sure that people don’t ever see who they really are. They use those layers that have been added over the years to protect and insulate themselves.

And then they come to high school, and we start applying the varnish remover and the sandpaper in an attempt to get down to the beautiful wood underneath. At first we use rough sandpaper, which can be a little painful. Blemishes are exposed, but that’s OK, because only then can we make the necessary repairs. Over the years we begin using a finer paper, until finally the wood is smooth and ready to be repainted or restained by the world they enter. It is our prayer that Providence will be a productive and dynamic part of this process; that we can do our share of refinishing so that the final product will be God-honoring. That’s why we are here – every teacher, every staff member, and every volunteer – to help make something beautiful out of every student who comes through our doors. By working together as family and school, that time consuming “project” we call a teenager will mature (yes, it’s true!) and grow and bring glory to God.

May we keep this focus as we work together this year. By doing so, we (who in our own way often need to be refined and refinished), bring Glory to the God who created each of us in His own image.