As I was watching J install crown molding in our hall bath on Saturday, I was reminded of a few of his qualities that I admire most. Any carpenter will tell you that even in the best of circumstances installing crown molding can be challenging, especially your first attempt. One must learn the art (and it IS definitely an art) of cutting and fitting together mitered corners and coped joints (making the molding fit together like puzzle pieces at the corners). Once the corners have been fashioned, installation involves balancing a piece of molding in one hand and nail gun (not a light object) in the other all while standing on a ladder working above your head. Add to that the fact that our hall bathroom provides a FAR from perfect working environment with its uneven ceilings and not even close to square corners - this project was a major undertaking. I wasn’t worried though. Past experience has taught me that my husband will persevere through most any project despite set-backs, frustrations, and even fatigue. This man DOES . NOT . GIVE . UP!
He was aware of most of these “issues” in the bathroom before he started. Now, if it had been me – that would have been the beginning and the end of that particular DIY idea. NO WAY would I have knowingly embarked upon such a challenging project by choice. But not J, he has CONFIDENCE to step out and try something difficult.
If he runs into a problem he doesn’t anticipate, he doesn’t panic, he PERSEVERES WITH PATIENCE, improvising, thinking outside the box and coming up with what I consider to be some really ingenious solutions. About mid-way through this project he was finishing up the installation of the single longest run of molding. This particular piece was really cooperating and looked GREAT. Unfortunately, once J worked his way down to the corner end with the nail gun, he realized the piece was just a touch too long. UGGGHHH! In my mind he was faced with only one option…rip the whole thing down (damaging the wall and possibly ruining the piece of molding – which is not cheap). My response, had I been him, would have been to either #1 – sit on the floor and cry like a baby or #2 have a BIG ‘ol temper tantrum with lots of yelling and screaming. Not J, he thinks for a minute or two and decides that he just needs to pull the corner end away from the wall and use an oscillating saw (kind of like a Dr*mel) to cut just a a little bit off of the end. This is a great plan, but it was important not to bend the molding out too much because it can break easily. So, he comes up with this “wedge”…
If J only exhibited these qualities during some random home improvement project every once in awhile, none of this would be worth mentioning . But the truth is, I witness these same qualities in J day in and day out – in the mundane, relatively unimportant home improvement projects to the very serious, critical, life-changing circumstances that life brings.
As I’ve been reflecting on all of this, two of my favorite Psalms of Ascent have come to mind repeatedly:
Psalm 121 – My Help Comes From the Lord – Jason knows this and it gives him CONFIDENCE to PERSEVERE and face the “hills” that come in life without panicking – in other words, it gives him “a capacity for hard things” (a saying that I LOVE and have borrowed from Susan Shepherd, Bible study teacher at my church).
And
Psalm 128: 1- 2 - Productive labor is a BLESSING from the Lord! God gave J many talents, skills, and a fortitude to keep plugging along like I've never seen. And THAT is something for which I am very thankful!
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