During this time of “shelter in place”, we have all seen some great DIY projects. People becoming artists, decorators, and chefs before our very eyes. So, I figured, “hey, I can get in this game!”
I saw a DIY project which turned an old pallet into a coffee mug rack. And, with the enormous amount of coffee mugs that we have, I decided to take a crack at it.
I called my friend, Dan, who, during one of our many thousands of miles of running, mentioned that he had a ton of extra pallets. He was happy to get one off of his hands. The dude even cut the pallet to fit my measurements. Classy!
Now, you need to know, I am NOT a handy man in the least. My wife grew up on a farm, and fixing things do NOT intimidate her at all. Me? It makes me anxious just thinking about it. I’m not “DIY”, I’m “PSE”, “Pay Someone Else”.
I grabbed the pallet, studied a few You Tube videos, and went for it. I sanded it with 60 grit sandpaper. After going over it a few times, I used a 150 grit sandpaper. That really smoothed it out. (This took a bit longer than I thought it would, but it’s a very important step!)
Next, I added some stain. I found some we had leftover from when we stained the deck a few years ago. It’s a Butternut color, so it gives it a bit of an antique look. A few coats did the trick. Then, I let it sit overnight.
24 hours later. Time to finish up. I grabbed stencil and paint, and added my own unique heading, “Hava Java”. (Said like a gangster with one of those Trans-Atlantic accents, “Ya see?”)
Adding the hooks was the final step. Making sure the spacing was lined up evenly was a challenge, as the length of each piece of the pallet is not the same length. After problem solving, we hung it up!
As I finished this project, it reminded me of a Bible verse.
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is done, a new life has begun!“
2 Corinthians 5:17
A simple, old worn out piece of wood, received “new life”. It now has a new purpose. For years, I was like this pallet. A feeling of being useless. What am I really here for? But, my life changed when I began a relationship with Jesus. It was then that my life was given a new purpose, too. To love Him and serve others.
Do you feel like the pallet? Feel useless? A feeling of “no worth”? Guess what? If an old piece of wood can suddenly look like this, what more can God do in your life? God is waiting to repurpose you!
Be repurposed. Make a difference, and always Run By Faith.
TommyRunByFaith 