Salvaged Farmhouse Table

Well, Hello!  Does anyone still come to this space anymore?  It's been awhile since I've sat down to blog.  There are many reasons for this and right now I won't go into them, but today I wanted to pop back in and share something that recently happened and left me so encouraged. 

I'll begin by saying that over the course of the last few years, God has been changing my perspective of him.  He's teaching me to come to him as a beloved child instead of an orphan. He's teaching me to trust him with the desires of my heart, however big or small. He's been taking me by the hand and walking me out of guilt and fear and leading me into the love and freedom that can only be found in him. It's taking time and the change is slower than I would like, but I can look back and see how he's led me so kindly into trusting his goodness and faithfulness to me. He doesn't always give me what I ask for, but sometimes he does!  And this is a story about one of those times that he surprised me and made a little one of my dreams come true.

A few years ago, we had a lot of family coming up to visit us and we needed a bigger dining room table to host them, as well as room to host friends when they came over. At that time, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted in a table and we didn't want to spend a lot of money, so we found a good solid table on Craigslist and hauled it home.  It was nice enough and it worked for what we needed.  

(our craigslist table)

But then a few months ago, I just fell in love with the salvaged farmhouse table from Restoration Hardware.  We're pretty frugal and careful with how we spend our money, so a RH table was far beyond what we would even consider spending on a table.  But because God has shown me how he delights to bless his kids, I asked him for it anyway.  I would talk about it with him and even allow myself to dream just a bit that maybe one day I would get one.  I scoured craigslist almost everyday looking to see if someone posted one for sale.  

Then one day, we were out at the Leesburg outlets and we stopped in the RH outlet to look around.  I asked them if they ever got the salvaged farmhouse table in their store.  They replied that it was pretty rare, but that every once in a while, they do get one.  They added my name to a preferred customer waiting list and promised to call me if one ever came in to the store.  

One Friday a few weeks later, I got the call that I had been waiting for from the RH outlet.  They informed me that they were expecting to get a salvaged farmhouse table into the store on Sunday.  They were having a 25% off sale at the time, so not only would the table be marked down to the outlet price, but I would get another 25% off of that price.  I was so excited, but my excitement quickly deflated when the sales rep informed me that someone else had already put it on hold.  She offered to put in on a second hold for me, meaning if the guy that had it on the first hold didn't get it between 10am - 12pm on Sunday, then they would call me and hold it for me for two hours.

I was hopeful and even had a little feeling that this was God answering my prayers, but I was also trying not to get too excited about it.  I didn't want to be devastated if it didn't work out.  I knew I just needed to wait, trust him, and see what happened.  In the meantime, I talked to him about it, but promised him I wouldn't beg (cause I just hate it when my kids beg me!).  

And then around 11:30 on Sunday morning, RH outlet called to let me know that the guy decided not to get the table.  I was stunned!  Really?!!  They told me the reason he didn't want it was because there were oil spots on the table.  After asking the RH rep to describe them to me, I wasn't too concerned because the table is a very rustic table and I don't mind some imperfections.  I always just call those kinds of things "character".  And after all, there is nothing perfect about the table to begin with.  I also knew that we weren't going to be keeping the table in pristine condition or anything, because we have three kids who spill and drip stuff all the time.  

I quickly called a neighbor and asked if my kids could come over to their house to play for a few hours so Tim and I could drive to the outlets, which are about 45 minutes aways.  We needed to be able to use the entire back of the van to get the table home.  The funny (or not funny) thing was that the air conditioner in the van had just stopped working a day or so before this and it was blazing hot outside, so Tim and I had to drive the entire way in an un-airconditioned van in the middle of summer with windows down.  I promised Tim I would treat him to a starbucks frappuccino on the way home.  Our little drive to the outlets, windows down, music blaring, felt a bit like a fun date in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. 

Upon arriving to the store, we went straight to look at the table and honestly, I couldn't even find the oil spots.  I had to ask the sales rep where they were.  After she pointed them out, I could see them, but they blended in so much with the salvaged, rustic look of the wood that they were just barely noticeable.  I could not believe that someone passed the table up because of them.  Yet, deep in my heart, I knew that God had orchestrated the whole thing for me because he loves me!  Seeing those oil spots bring joy to my heart.  I look at them as God's fingerprints, put there by him to make sure I got my table. 

This table is such a reminder to me of God's love, how very personal he is with each one of us, how he delights to bless his kids, and his ability to maneuver events and bring His purposes to pass in our lives. 

I am hoping to be back in this space blogging more soon, so don't give up on my just yet!