Have you ever had the pleasure of witnessing a wood craftsman as he completes his creation of a beautiful chair? Carpenters go through the an artistic process of gathering wood, cutting it into the necessary pieces and forming the wood into various shapes and sizes that will be connected with glue, nails and screws to make a chair. The final step before staining or painting is to sand it down. Sandpaper is an abrasive item used to smooth the surface of the wood.
During this year of ups and downs, Rev. Enoch Fuzz, pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, has experienced the physical and mental pains of stage four lung cancer. He is having pain in his back, but he says he cannot feel sorry for himself.
“There are other people worse off than me,” he said. “A lot of people are having back pains and other ailments. So I decided to just accept my pains and let it give me strength to do daily chores in my house and take care of my personal hygiene.”
He noted that you must accept the pain in order to gain the strength. We’ve heard the expression of ‘no pain, no gain,’ primarily in reference to exercising and building strength to gain muscle, strength or in losing weight. The idea of having to endure the pain in order to receive what we are looking to achieve is the pain that we must suffer.
While sandpaper is not something that would ever be used on humans, the abrasiveness that smooths the surface of the wood is amazing. The contact of this harsh item, when rubbed vigorously on the surface of the wood, results in a smooth surface, (splinter free). Then the wood is likely given a glossy coat of stain or paint. That will make the chair not only beautiful, but will protect the wood for this sturdy piece of furniture, so it can provide rest when one sits. While we rarely witness this process, we are unconsciously aware of what it took for wood to become a chair.
In life, we endure similar types of abrasive and rough acts. But with endurance, our mental and physical being will be ‘smoothed.’ Biblical scriptures speak of the potter and the potter’s wheel. And note, sandpaper is used in the same way when an object has been formed from clay. The final step before its beautification is that of abrasiveness that smooths the surface in preparation for the final step of paint—so that it can be used or enjoyed for its beauty.
“Being confident of this, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” Philippians 1:6.
Rev. Fuzz is going through a journey of what may personally feel like ‘sandpaper on a chair’ as he awaits the smoothed surface that is yet to come. He knows there will always still be acceptable flaws. Rev. Fuzz continues the work and witness of preaching and teaching the awesome and trustworthy power of prayer!
No pain with life’s trials, and there is no gain. Witness, keep praying and giving your testimony.
Continue to pray for Rev. Fuzz as he continues to pray for you. Also, visit his Facebook site where you will find him sharing his praise in pictures and song. Be sure to continue to follow his weekly journey here with ‘Cancer: My Journey in Time.’
