A board by any other name would be silly

“The works of (God’s) hands are faithfulness and justice; all his commandments are sure.” Psalm 111

What’s the deal with wood? I know that two-by-fours haven’t been two inches by four inches in decades, and maybe even in a century. That’s OK. I’m aware that when I buy two-by-fours for a project, they’ll be roughly 1 ½ by 3 ½ inches (thickness and width). I understand you can get more dimensional lumber from a tree that way and that the structural integrity of a house, barn, or shed isn’t diminished significantly by using anorexic lumber. I know those are rough measurements and good enough for supports that will be hidden by drywall or out of sight in attics or crawl spaces. I get that. But …

The other day I went to my local home center to buy a board from which I intended to build a rack for storing wireless microphones at church. I wasn’t buying “rough” lumber. I was buying a finer piece of wood intended for wood-working craftsmen, er, crafty-persons, er, artists. I figured people would like it because the label said it was poplar. No use buying something that would be unpoplar, right?

Naturally, the four inch wide board wasn’t, and the brackets were. The problem wasn’t with the lumber, though. You see, the problem is that I worked from my brain and common sense instead of a ruler and practical application. I got the plank home, sanded it down, softened the edges with my router, creating a piece of fine furniture, and finished it all off with a beautiful, hand-rubbed oil stain finish. THEN I brought out the brackets and discovered the dimensional discrepancy. Oops. Did I become despondent with my delusions of adequacy?

Good grief; No! I looked at what I’d done, threw my hands up, and said to myself, “Well, that’s one for the books!” 

One cannot undo what has been done. One cannot unring the bell or put the toothpaste back into the tube. I knew better than to start a project without taking proper measurements. If I worked with wood daily, I might be able to do things off the cuff and with a dollop of by-gosh and by-golly (as my Grand-Dad was wont to say), but I don’t. I am a tinkerer, but in this case I tink I blundered. It happens.

So, I went and bought a more properly sized bit of wood, did my duty to it, and when I was done, took it to the church, placed it where the priest asked me to, and that was that. I didn’t fix blame; I fixed the problem.

When one makes a mistake, there is no use fussing about it, feeling guilty, or dumb. A star has no brains, but it still shines, right? I’m no star, but I can still do my part to make life a little better, a little easier, a little less fractured.

Come to think of it, I think I make a better moon than a star. Stars create their own light, but the moon reflects what light it is given. We don’t make our own light. We simply reflect the light that is given us. 

Faithfulness and justice are something like that. When we strive to live by the commands to love one another, to treat one another right, to forgive those who harm us, and make restitution whenever doing so won’t do yet more harm, then we’re really just reflecting the light of grace that’s been poured upon us by Another, whether that “other” is God or the Universe. It doesn’t matter; what matters is we reflect what’s been shined upon us. 

There’s nothing to brag about there. We’re just doing the next thing on our list of things to do, and, with any luck, we will be producing something of value upon which others may reflect, smile, and give thanks. I believe it was the Dalai Lama who said, “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

That truly lies at the heart of faith and justice here in this, our valley. I may be thick as a brick at times, but at least now I am board certified.

Keith Axberg writes on matters concerning life and faith. Author of: Who the Blazes is Jesus? Good News for a Vulgar World (available through Amazon in Print and e-book)