[He] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. —Ephesians 3:20 

 At lumber yards, wood is sold based on its grade.  The grade is assigned according to the wood’s usefulness and quality for various needs. For example, a 2x4 that will be hidden inside a wall is construction grade, but there are other grades for making furniture. Grade A is for fine work such as cabinet or table construction. These are planks that are straight, free of visible flaws or defects in the grain, and smooth.

I once wanted to build a table but didn’t have any grade A wood, nor did I have money to buy any.  I must admit I complained to God about not having what I needed for my project. Then I heard God speaking to me, not audibly, but as real as a voice from the clouds: “Use what you have, and then I will give you more.”

So I went to my wood pile: leftover scraps I had collected from other building projects. I found some pieces that were the length I needed, the right thickness and even the same kind of wood.  But these were seconds, boards sold by the lumber yard for less than normal because they have defects.  These pieces even have "#2" written on them.  I took those #2s and turned them into a table.  It wasn’t easy. It took time cutting the wood carefully, and a lot of sanding. And eventually, after the wood had been made ready, it was no longer #2 but fine—fit to be made into the table I wanted.  It serves its purpose to this day. No longer wood left to be ignored in a pile of other left over #2 wood pieces, but a useful piece of furniture.

Sometimes we may feel like that #2 piece of wood left on the pile, ignored, abandoned, forgotten, even rejected by someone else with a #2 label. But God can take us and make us into someone appreciated, valuable, useful, and admired. As Romans 8:28 tells us, God is working all things together for our good. The difference is the hand of God taking us from where we are and having a vision for what we can become as He takes His time to form us and shape us into what He has in mind for us.

It’s not about the wood and what it used to be or was seen to be, believed to be, considered to be, or left to be. It is all about the One who is able to do exceedingly more in and through you than you could ever believe (Ephesians 3:20, 21), forming you and shaping you into something of extreme value and usefulness to Him.

If you feel you've been left on the wood pile, don’t leave yourself there, but submit to God’s work in your life to form you into what will be useful to Him.  Sometimes that will take some cutting, and there will be friction as the rough surfaces are made smooth, but the end result is worth more than anything this world has to offer.

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