The long-awaited container load of our books and household items arrived at our house in Eswatini a week ago. The preliminary unpacking has taken place, although shelving the books may take another month (after all, I must set up my shop and build the bookshelves).
Many of the items in the shipment have a usefulness that goes beyond their daily practical value. One of those items is the dining set – a table and six chairs that came down to me when my grandfather passed away.
Before sitting down to supper tonight, I gave a little thought to the value of what I will call “grandma’s table” (although obviously it belonged just as much to papa). Many thoughts came to mind, but I will keep this instalment short.
Stewardship
I do not have an exact date, but I know that the table was purchased in the 1970s. I remember setting it up for my grandparents when they moved into the home that was their final dwelling. [Interestingly, that house had been my grandmother’s home from about seven years of age until she married in her thirties. Then she returned there for the close of her life.] I do not think that the table was new when I set it up in the dining room of the old home place in 1978.
So, the table is at least forty-three years old, but it still looks nearly new today. It is a testament to the care that it has received through the years. And thus, the table raises a few questions in my mind.
How much is the Lord’s work being hindered because many Christians are unwilling to care for and use older furniture? How much money, that ought to be used for the support of good works, is being squandered because we want new, even though there is nothing wrong with the old?
For us, grandma’s table is the newest table we have every used. The one we used from 1987 to earlier this year was inherited from Chery’s grandpa, and was well over 100 years old. The one we used from our marriage in 1975 until 1987 was a hand-me-down from my aunt and uncle. I realise that not everyone has a family like ours. Obviously, someone must buy new occasionally. But are we not doing it more often that we ought? Does not our claim to have no funds to support good work ring a little hollow when one looks at the stuff we have in our houses? How often have we bought new when there was nothing wrong with the old? How often is the problem not in the condition of the item but in the heart of the owner? Are we faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to our care?
“Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2, ESV).
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