I sat in the loveliest bent wood rocking chair the other day. I was at one of those rustic country stores. It was comfortable, well crafted, and made completely of bent wooden branches. Its price was beyond my current means or I would have brought it home. I am amazed that someone could look at willow branches and conceive such beauty.
Again though, I should not be so amazed. I have a pastor who often, in the gentlest of terms reminds us that we are all “crooked sticks.” No matter how often I see the faults of others, I am looking at them through eyes that never quite focus properly. I am bent, crooked, full of knotholes, and completely fallen. This is not self-abasement. It is recognition that the flaws in others that I see are the very things that Christ will use to create Masterpieces of art.
None of us can point to another and say, “Look how crooked you are.” We are just as crooked. I have spent many years understanding this but often doing a poor job of applying it. We all fail to see the good in others and rather see the faults and use them to make ourselves feel better. Recently I have been confronted with much of my crookedness by those who know me best. They are right and I need to see the bends and kinks in my character.
What worries me most is what we do with other people who we see a crooked sticks. You see, I gather willow branches in my yard to use as kindling in my fire pit. I never think to weave them into useful beauty. Christ, the eternal carpenter gathers us together and from out combined crookedness weaves us, bends further, and creates useful beauty suited for his purposes. Before we cast others onto the woodpile for burning, perhaps we should consider that we are in need of the Carpenter’s touch just as much as they are. Further, if we will show them the kindness and grace that we need, perhaps we can play a part in the Carpenter’s eternal quest to entwine crooked sticks into works of beauty.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn, crooked stick
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