Stained to be pure

I have mixed feelings about my dad's day off. Usually it entails him waking us earlier than usual and setting us on jobs in yardwork and housework.

Yesterday, despite the rain, was no different. I went outside to find Dylan scraping old paint off the porch and later priming and painting it yet again. Caleb was sent to work on the shed.

My task? Staining wood to be put in our kitchen where we knocked out a wall this winter.

I had never stained wood before, but it seemed pretty simple after Dad explained it and showed me what to do.

I jumped right in, honestly feeling like an artist even though I was simply smearing a dark, sticky substance onto a board with a rag.

Double and triple checking the edges and the evenness, I continued until all the boards were successful and beautifully stained.

Dad came into the garage to evaluate my work, said it was okay, and proceeded to show me how to put on the shiny, sealant stuff. (Nice terminology, huh?)

After one coat yesterday, and another today. Dad seemed disappointed. I was scrubbing my hands with baby oil to get the sticky stuff off when he came in and said the wood wasn't dark enough.

'Not dark enough?' I thought. 'You said it was fine yesterday.'

Staring at the not-quite-perfect wood, I started thinking about the similarities between me and this plank.

Just wait, it'll make sense in a minute!

We start off like a simple blank piece of wood. Sure, we are already sinful, but other outside influences haven't found us yet, stained us if you will.

See what I'm saying?

We are vulnerable to outside influences, and as Christians we have to choose to allow only good influences in, like God and His word.

We need to dive into God's word to allow it to stain us, change us. But one coat is not enough, even after double and triple checking. Every time we read the Bible, we can learn something new. Even pastors learn new things when they study the Word. If we allow good things to seep into our souls, we will be ready for the sealant at the end of our lives, which will hopefully mean heaven rather than the hell that we deserve. And it's no quick feat, it requires a lot of time and diligence.

Let good things influence you. Let the Word seep into you every single day, no matter how difficult. God wants to stain us, which will actually make us more pure in His eyes.

I don't know if this metaphor made any sense to you, but it just popped into my head and something told me to share it:)

Thanks for reading!

I loved it once more

It's all coming back to me.

The breeze.

The clean, open air.

Boom, got the comfy seat.

Zing!

Watch out for Dad!

Okay, he got it.

Good deal.

Fish on, baby!

Who's turn is it?

Mikayla, take the rod!

Oh! Guess I'm up, huh?

Boy, am I rusty or what?

Okay, keep the rod steady.

Tip down, tip down.

Okay, backing up.

Tip steady.

Come on, Dad, just net it already!

Holy moly, that's a big fish right there!

That's a...steelhead? Brown trout?

Great, I forgot how to identify my fish!

That's embarrassing.

Whew, my arms hurt.

Is it weird that I like the smell of fresh caught fish?

Whatever, I'm a nursing major.

I'm supposed to like weird stuff like that, right?

Whoa, another fish on!

Caleb, ya gotta watch out for Dad.

Almost got thrown over there!

That would've been hilarious.

Okay, Dylan's turn.

Man, this kid talks a lot.

Yes, Dylan, we know reeling makes your arms hurt.

Sheesh, enough commentary, just get the fish in the box.

Mikayla, you're turning!

Yeah, I'm turning cause driving this boat is such a pain!

I lost my landmark.

Oh, the smoke stacks, right.

Okay, back on track I think.

Mikayla, now you're too far left!

Sheesh, I don't know what I'm doing!

Now I remember why I hate driving.

Crap, I have to pee.

No!

I am not peeing in that bucket!

Wish we were hunting.

Then I could just pee behind a tree.

That's pretty easy.

What time is it?

Only eleven.

We've been fishing for over five hours already.

It really is beautiful on the lake today.

And one foot waves, wow, that's like nothing!

Mikayla, take the rod!

Oh! Another fish for me, okay.

Yowza, there's a beast on the other end!

Wow, my arm is burning.

Wonder how mad Dad would be if I just let go of the pole...

Hmm, should I try it?

No, not unless I want to move out early!

Yeah, that would be a very bad idea.

Man, is this fish close yet?

Oh! There it is, it jumped.

Fly, little fishy, fly!

Alright, almost there.

Dad's got the net, okay.

Oh, Caleb's netting?

Great.

Three years later, ha!

Come on, Caleb.

Do your thing.

Net it, man, net it!

Ahh, thank you.

Wow, my hands hurt!

Back to driving?

Guess I'm okay with that.

Just a few more hours.

We can do this.

Ya know, sometimes fishing can get annoying.

But I really do love it.

I feel like I'm twelve again.

I guess fishing is part of my history.

My family's history.

I remember the breeze.

I remember the clean, open air.

I remember how I loved it.

And I love it once more.

Spreading some love

Everyone is capable of spreading some love and joy. It's all about waking up and deciding to do so. Recently I've seen some cool Coca-Cola commercials in which they use their product to cause a few more smiles in our world. Just thought I'd share some with ya! By the way, I'm not sharing these because I'm a Coca-Cola lover, I really don't drink much pop, I just like all the smiles in these videos. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA9tXYxD8g This one's one of my favorites. Almost teared up, actually.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9cmoT_wb0A This one is great because it's so true! Sometimes it's tough to start making friends in college.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqT_dPApj9U I'm sharing this one simply because I wish it would happen at Trinity:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A45sjUX7mp0 Ha! I love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfM9rIhxieU I love all the confused faces at the beginning.

I'm not a company or corporation, but I can still make people smile, and so can you.

Spread some joy today, it's as simple as that:)