They sat in the thrift store, rejects.

Priced to sell they’d been there too long.

People looked at them only
seeing,

Furniture with years of neglect.

 

Both were scarred, scratched and dented,

Frightening many a “do-it-over” shopper,

They passed over both pieces for others,

Ones who showed once they’d been loved.

 

Then a shopper came in and their eyes,

Saw beyond the dirt, gunk and grime.

She could see the cabinets had potential.

No question any longer they’d buy.

 

Purchased the plans were born,

Sanding, painting and repurpose them both.

Strip away the scars and scrapes.

No longer would they look so forlorn.

 

Outside in the clean of sunlight.

Something struck a chord in their head.

Maybe beneath all the apparent ugliness

Lurked a stunning beauty hidden from sight?

 

Years of life with the living and aging,

Were washed away with a bit of scrub,

The new owner grew excited,

The cabinets were really the brass ring.

 

Oh, how beautiful the wood became!

As times damage and neglect oiled away.

And the scars and imperfections?

Revealed character that showed the same.

 

Again cared for, they sang a new song,

Their past became part of their charm.

The pieces stood up a bit taller,

New love had righted a wrong.

 

Care, tenderness and love were applied to the find

Knowledgeable hands cleared away years of regret,

She’d begun to think of Her Father.

Who looked at her with a filter so kind.

 

She too had her scars from life’s wars.

From years of pain and rejection inside.

Her heart had looked even more shabby,

From the time she’d spent near and far.

 

Then along came a Master of Love

Who asked her to come to His side,

And He began the process that would

Reveal the beauty He’d seen from above.

 

He treated her scratches and dents,

Wept as He washed over her scars,

His hands were firm but gentle.

Clearing away painful incidents.

 

When both pieces and His child

Stood again bravely and loved,

God knowingly nodded His head.

They bore with grace the marks of the wild.

 

We’re all like her furniture and this woman.

All beaten up, dented and bruised.

We all bear the gunk and grime of aging.

The signs of living with uncaring man.

 

Until Jesus comes along and sees us.

With eyes of understanding and love.

Seeing beyond the surface imperfections,

What needs only the Master’s touch.

 

What signs of life do you bear?

What gunk covers your soul?

What hides your true beauty?

Will you trust in the One who cares?

 

We all sit out in the darkness,

Until the Light of Love comes along,

And restores us with grace and mercy

By His blood and righteousness.

        d.f.a.v. 2/12/15

—Donna