Butt vs Dovetail Joint...Which are you?

My eyes opened this morning, and almost instantly I had three pictures that came to my mind. My Teacher was in the room!

Here are two pictures resembling what He showed me:

The third....you'll have to use your imagination. The picture was a combination of the two different cuts coming together.  Take a moment to visualize what that would look like.  Do you see the holes that are present?  Imagine the disjointedness and the weakness such a coming together would bring!

I know very little about wood-working, but I do know the strength of two pieces of wood coming together is found in the JOINT.  

These pictures I saw in my mind set the student-in-me to blaze.  The more I read up on wood-working, the more the Spirit illumined His point, so here I am ..... both prolific writer and student of life....sharing a bit about this morning's personal lesson.  I have a strong sense you will have a significant take-away in the reading of it.

I found this quote on a wood-working site quite telling: (Hint: Read it with your SPIRITUAL glasses on.)

"Wood joinery is one of the most basic concepts in woodworking. If we didn't have the ability to join two pieces of wood together in a solid fashion, all woodworking pieces would be sculptures carved out of a single piece of wood.  However, with the many varied types of wood joinery, a woodworker has a number of different joints in his arsenal from which to choose, based upon the project."

Taking it further:  

The top picture above is called a butt joint because it simply butts up to another piece of wood; its shape unchanged.  "There is no more basic wood joinery than the butt joint."  Considered to be the weakest joint.

The bottom picture above is called the through dovetail joint. "Of all wood joinery methods, the through dovetail may be the most revered. A classic through dovetail is beautiful and very strong and adds a touch of class to any piece."   Considered to be the strongest joint.

Is your spiritual light bulb warming up?

Take a moment.... honestly assess what kind of joint are you currently?  

A "thorough dovetail joint"..... that has a nice ring to it, does it not?.....capable of being fashioned together with both beauty and strength.  

I mean, really, who wants to be a butt joint?  I get why they called it that, but I certainly don't want to BE that!  

Then I went to the Bible...

Many verses on wood.  Some of the first mentions of wood are in dealing with the Ark of the Covenant and the ark of the flood....BOTH commanded with exact specifications by God. Clearly, long before He set His feet upon the earth as a carpenter.... He has always been a skilled woodcrafter. 

So, I ask you.... are you a butt joint or a dovetail joint?  

Are you cut-able...shape-able.....fit-able in the Master Woodcrafter's hands?   Do you allow Him to cut exact details into you in such a way as to bring strength and beauty to those He fits you with?  

OR are you resistant to change...unyielding to His chisel....conditional....determined to stay a simple, "safe" piece of wood that merely butts up against others, never fitting, never adding strength or beauty? 

I wholly believe it is the Master Woodcrafter's desire to make His children into beautiful "through dovetail joints"!   Ephesians says, "He makes the whole body FIT together PERFECTLY."   When I read those words, taking into account today's topic of wood joints, I don't picture butt joints, but rather beautiful, strong through dovetail joints! 

As I shared a new weeks ago.... I know Psm 119 well, having read it countless times so far in my life.  Here are a few treasured verses out of that lengthy Psalm near and dear to my heart:

"The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.  Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn Your commands. May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your Word."

Don't know about you, but I have spent the better part of my life on God's crafting table...many times wondering, "Are we about done?"   (Believe me when I say, I CLEARLY see Him smile when I say this because He knows I'll willingly let Him keep on keeping-on until He's done!  I desperately want to be among His masterpieces.... and I truly pray you do too!) 

If you honestly assessed today that you are a butt joint, will you bolster the courage to ask Him to TRANSFORM you into a strong and beautiful dovetail?  Yes, it's going to hurt.... Yes, it's going to take humility.....Yes, it's going to take time.....  but oh, can you imagine, in the least, what beauty and what strength there will be when He's done!?   

I sincerely challenge you; dare to put yourself in the Master Woodcrafter's hands with only these words, "May it be done unto me according to Your Word [Your will, Your plan]!"