VIDEO: Furniture Fit for the Kingdom

My father is a woodworker, and I have some appreciation for how much skill it takes to produce the kind of furniture Harrison Higgins makes, but even if you’ve never picked up a hammer before, it’s obvious that he is a seriously gifted craftsman. Even more impressive than his skills, however, is the attitude behind his work.

Take a few moments to watch Furniture Fit for the Kingdom, produced by Nate Clarke for This Is Our City.

Higgins speaks lovingly about the beauty inherent in wood, and how it can be brought out by the right techniques. To him, wood is not just a resource or a raw material. It’s something sacred, worthy of respect. He says, “These things, these beautiful things, are built into this creation that God has placed us in. These things are here because God loves us. It means we handle them differently.” He strives to make each piece of furniture worthy of the wood that goes into it. There’s something significant in that, isn’t there? He might get paid the same regardless of how he approaches his job, but it’s obvious that his work is about far more than a paycheck. It's an act of worship.

As I listen to what Harrison has to say about his craft, I begin to think about my work, and the way I approach it. Do I have the same respect for these words in this short post at The High Calling that he has for wood? Are these sentences worthy of their words? These questions are deeper than the nuts and bolts of any particular field.

This video reminds us to be human, to be Christian, to be stewards of the creation we participate in. We have been given an opportunity, not simply to appreciate the beauty of what God has made, but to cultivate it, to play a part in its completion. This staggers me.

I’ve often heard that God began the world with a garden, and will complete it with a city. My own somewhat agrarian leanings notwithstanding, I like this image. It means that we have a calling to cultivate, to build, and to restore. It means we get to take part in God’s reclaiming His world. It means we get to add to the beauty all around us.

The work we do, whether it's with lumber or with numbers, with wood or with words, is sacred. We just have to see it for what it is.

You can find more of Nate's work over at This Is Our City or right here on The High Calling.