The Old Wooden Church Pew

I encountered the well-worn and humble wooden pew on the porch of a vacation cabin rental. It was just like the one I sat on as a young boy in an old country church. Its varnish has been thinned, and its once-bright oak has faded to a soft, weathered gray now that it is outside. However, there was still a sense of dignity in this handmade piece of furniture.

I am sure it served its church well, silently witnessing thousands of moments of faith. It carried the weight of many lives through joyous highs and somber lows. How many prayers for healing, safety, and intervention had been uttered from its seats? How many tears of sorrow and gratitude? How many hymns were sung and sermons heard?

If I looked carefully, would I see the indentations of children using its seat to “decorate” a church bulletin? If I looked under the seat, might I find some discarded gum?

From its age, you know it saw the church family it served get older, resulting in funerals, marriages, and new kids to fidget on its seats. It never took it as an insult if someone older brought a pillow.

In all those years, not once was a decision to follow Jesus ever dependent on the comfort of this pew. But when the churches down the street started offering seats with cushions and lumbar support, this old pew became the enemy of progress and growth. Now it sits on a porch, demoted to a decorative all-weather bench, spending its sunset years greeting temporary renters like me.

One of the mornings I stayed there, I walked out into the crisp pre-dawn air, coffee in hand, and I went to join the pew. As I sat down on the still-sturdy pew, I asked, “Are you ready for service again, old friend?” I continued, “I want to praise my Creator as He paints the sky with a sunrise, and it just so happens you are facing the right direction.”

God met me there on that old wooden pew just like He met many others before. It doesn’t hurt to have chairs that support our posture as long as they do not become part of a strategy. God is more interested in the posture of our hearts. He can meet us in a fiery furnace, up a tree, in the comfort of our bed, or on an old wooden church pew.

#WalkintheTruth #WoodenChurchPew #PostureoftheHeart