Our Boxing Day travels today took us to two extremes.
At one extreme, there was the Amish Furniture Outlet. The store was easily navigated. Every piece was beautiful, solid oak, maple or cherry, and hand-crafted. There were no screws or nails to be seen, but perfect fits including dovetail joints holding the pieces together. But, with list prices reaching $15,000 for an exquisite bedroom set, buyers in a tough economy were apparently too few, pushing them into bankruptcy.
At the other extreme is a big box furniture chain. Every piece looks good, but with solid veneer on pressboard, fibreboard or particleboard, there's nary solid wood to be found in most items. However, the price is right, and the quality good enough, at least for a short while. Besides, who needs dovetail joints when you have bolts and flanges. For the price of one kitchen chair from the Amish, one can purchase and assemble a full kitchen set with a table and four chairs. Business is booming, so they must be doing something right!
Life often requires us to choose between quality and cost. I certainly would love the hand-crafted solid wood pieces, they are spectacular pieces of furniture! More often than not, they are well beyond my budget and I have to settle for the engineered wood with veneer.
There are often other choices between quality and cost as well, not just when we shop. Think of choices around diet and exercise, especially at this time of year, or relationships, personal development or so many other aspects of life.
Luke 2:11-12 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Christmas reminds us that God did not sacrifice quality or cost when it comes to His love for mankind. He didn't hold anything back in terms of quality or cost, wrapping Himself in human form to come to earth as a little baby in a manger... feedtray for animals!
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus came to show us how to live and love, and to give us the way back to the Father.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Jesus came to pay the ultimate price that we would have life in abundance. And investing His Spirit in us, He works to transform us from a particleboard core into the high quality, "solid wood" people God originally designed us to be!
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