Bent Nails

Encouragement

" And above all things have fervent love among yourselves: for love shall cover the multitude of sins." 1 Pet 4:8

In my father’s garage there were many containers of nails, fasteners, nuts, bolts, screws, washers of all types and sizes. I had no idea what he used most of them for, but I always thought it was pretty cool that he had them all. I also liked the different containers they were stored in…jars that used to store pickles and jelly…cans that once stored coffee. Everything “re-purposed” as modern vernacular describes it.

Occasionally my Dad would have to go to the hardware store to buy something that couldn’t be found above his tool bench, but for the most part everything he needed for any type building or repair project around the house could be found in one of those containers.

I was thinking about my Dad’s tool bench and the assortment of bent nails that were never thrown away but straightened out and placed in a jar for future use. My Dad was a product of his generation. A generation that came of age during the depression and wasted nothing. ( I often think of that when I am carefully folding and storing a sheet of aluminum foil to be used again!)

It was a generation where bent nails were straightened to be used again, socks were darned and jeans were patched when they got holes. Throwing something away that could be repaired was viewed as wasteful. It was a generation where need and necessity spurred innovation and creativity to find solutions.

As I was thinking about this memory, I was reminded of a sermon I heard long ago that taught me “Don’t throw away bent nails…remember Jesus was a carpenter.” Isaiah 11:3,4 was brought to mind “And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.”

Contrasting with my parent’s generation, we live in a time where everything is disposable. When something breaks, we don’t fix it, we throw it out. This replacement mentality is not limited to things but has carried over to people as well. We look at a person, and in our mind, we size them up, label them and levy a judgment based on who we think they are. A person that is broken is more apt to be discarded then taken and repaired. This ‘replacement generation’ mentality can cause us to step into the role of God and make judgments that are not ours to make.

If Isaiah, in the passage above, is telling us that even Messiah does not judge by what HE sees or hears, then who are we to attempt that? ONLY GOD knows the heart of a person, and ONLY HE is able to make righteous judgments. I've been around enough people to know that I have a very limited understanding of the circumstances that have brought them to the place they are in life, and I believe the Lord's example to us is to show mercy, not judgment. If the great carpenter Jesus, specializes in straightening out bent nails, then it is incumbent upon us to bring these bent nails to His tool bench for repair!

He has been with them since the beginning - seen every triumph, as well as every tear. He has seen what they have had to overcome and what is still dragging them down. What is HIS response? He encourages, draws, intercedes for, looks beyond the pain and their outward actions, and into their hearts and fixes them.

I was one of those bent nails that Jesus straightened out and declared useful for His Kingdom! Were you? When looking at others, let’s trust HIM to “re-purpose” what the enemy would have us discard! There are no throw away people – only those waiting to be picked out of the rusted coffee can, straightened out and put to use according to the purposes ordained for them from the foundation of the world!

“Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” 2 Tim 1:9

Let’s face it, none of “our works” got us anywhere. It was the love and mercy of our gracious God that saved us while “we were yet sinners.” We can’t deceive ourselves into thinking that we were in any better shape than the “bent nails” we see each day, because in God’s Holy eyes – we were not! It is, and always has been HIS purpose, and even "re-purpose" for us!

Thank you, Jesus for judging me according to righteousness, and not according to what Your eyes saw and Your ears heard. Please forgive me for the times I’ve looked with my own eyes and listened with my own ears and made a judgment based on outward condition, and not what YOUR heart wanted to show me. Forgive me for the times I have not attempted to straighten a nail, helping to repair what could be made fit for the Master's use! We are surrounded by people that need YOUR touch given through OUR hands. Your mercy is a deluge, Lord.... We are lost in it and want to draw others in!

"When He saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd " Matthew 9:36

Isn't that verse an expressive picture of the people we see each day? People wandering without hope, or the knowledge that they can be changed and their lives can be better! Father, please grant us Your compassion and give us greater faith to genuinely know that NO ONE is beyond Your reach. Please allow us to partner with YOU to straighten out the bent nails for Your purposes! Your Kingdom is built by broken people made whole!

Thank you for your great love. We love you! Amen.