A Lesson from a Picnic Table

At the beginning of this summer I moved into a house that I would live in for a few months while working in an office on Purdue's campus.  While I enjoy my job, I quickly become tired of spending all day in the windowless rooms at work, so I try to spend as much time as possible outside when I am not at work.

The house I am living in has a little backyard and a picnic table where I spend a portion of my time reading and writing.  However, the picnic table had paint that was peeling off in large pieces at the beginning of the summer.  Each time I sat at the picnic table I wondered if I should do something to improve the table, but I continuously told myself that I didn't need to.  I am only living here for a few months and it seemed silly to invest the time, energy, and money into buying the supplies, stripping the paint, and redoing the table.

I eventually resolved to take on the project, as I wanted to enjoy the table more when I was outside.  I spoke to someone who lived in the house on a more normal basis to get permission and then began the process of peeling, chipping, and sanding the surface of the table.

I spent many hours working through this project.  As I sat outside each night removing as much paint as possible so that a new coat of stain would be able to soak in and protect the table, I wondered if this project was really worth the effort.  It seemed like the summer would be nearly half over by the time I finished.

The picnic table in progress as I chipped, scraped, sanded, and brushed the paint bits off.

 Eventually I realized that it really shouldn't matter to me how long I was going to be able to use the table.  I cannot base my decisions of what to do based on the duration of time I will have it in this world.  Everything in this world is going to be temporary, no matter how nice it looks or how great the quality is.  As a college student, much of my life is temporary: the longest I maintain a particular schedule is 16 weeks and I have not lived in one place for more than 9 months in the past 2 years.

It would be really easy to ignore my roommates' existence for a few months.  It would be easy to decide that it doesn't make sense to grow close to them, since I won't be living with most of them for very long and probably won't see them very often once the summer is over.  It would be very easy to only focus on academics during the school year, because that feels more permanent than people or other activities.  It would be easy to drop club activities, as I could work on other things besides being in meetings for a few hours each week.

But as I worked on the picnic table, I remembered that everything in this world is temporary.   Working on this table enabled me to realize that I can learn eternal lessons from temporary things in the world.  If I hadn't stained the table, I would have never learned that gloves really are a necessity when using chemical paint stripper.  If I hadn't interacted with my roommates, I would not have experienced spontaneous movie nights full of laughter and confusion, gone star-gazing to see Mars early in the summer, or eaten as much delicious homemade food.

Everything in this world is going to fade away.  Whether this happens in a few months or over the course of many years, I want to remember that what really matters is growing, learning, and experiencing God's presence as much as possible.  Even though everything in this world is temporary, I can still learn eternal lessons from it.  I can live in the temporary and build treasures in the permanent.

The fresh stain after a rainstorm a few weeks ago

I stained the table, and now I don't have to worry about getting pieces of paint on my computer as I write blogs or type poetry.  At the end of the summer, when I move out, I will no longer be able to sit in this quiet backyard and watch the squirrels play in the trees or read novels.  But I learned a lesson from my temporary project.  I am learning lessons through the temporary relationships I have with my roommates.  The new tenants of the house will be able to enjoy a nicer table and I'll be able to share what I have learned with new roommates and acquaintances as I continue into my third year at Purdue.  

While everything is temporary, it is not useless if it is done with the focus and glory directed to God. 

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

Ecclesiastes 12:12

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:20

Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,

Jo