My Dresser Drawers... Dresser Analogy

The Dresser Analogy

As I began to think about the dresser that Andrew is building for little Rose, I heard God speak truths to my heart.  I was familiar with the story of the potter and the clay and how the potter molds the clay into something special.  As I began to correlate the similarities of this story with a dresser, I began to hear God speak to my heart.

The carpenter begins with just slabs of wood but he carefully begins to measure and cut the pieces of wood to construct the dresser.  The dresser that Andrew is making for Rose is being made for a purpose.  Just as God makes each of us for a purpose.  As I began to look at the dresser, my attention was drawn to the dresser drawers.  I could see many things inside the drawers and I heard God gently speaking truths to my heart. 

We are like the dresser drawers and we store things inside of us.  Many times, drawers will hold things we treasure and are sentimental to us.  We are the same way, we store many memories and special experiences in the drawers of our own lives and hearts. 

Drawers in a dresser hold intimate apparel that we wear close to us in special places no one sees.  The same with our lives, we have intimate parts of us that we hold close to us.  Jesus wants to be close to us and intimate with us in those special places that no one sees.

Dressers hold clothes we wear.  They may be sports clothes when we feel sporty and carefree.  The clothes may be formal or casual.  They cover us so we are not naked.  Just like the clothes we put on to wear, we are to let the Holy Spirit cover us so we are not empty and naked.

Sometimes our dresser drawers become full and hard to close because we have packed too many things in the drawer.  Jesus wants us to look at what we put in our dresser and inside the drawers of our hearts.  Sometimes we pack too many things in our lives the same as we pack too many clothes in our drawers.  Jesus wants us to look at what is inside the drawers of our heart and see if there are things we have placed there that has crowded Him out.  Do we need to clean out our hearts to make room for the things God wants us to keep? 

Sometimes when our dresser drawers are packed full, things get pushed to the back of the drawer and we forget the item is there.  It is the same with our own lives.  Sometimes we put so many things into our daily schedules such as relationships, duties, activities, meetings, church activities, school activities into our lives that we push God to the back of the drawer of our hearts.  We become so busy, we forget He is there.  Once we begin to clean out our heart and remove those things in our lives that do not need to be there, we can place God in the front of the drawer so we don't forget He is there.

Sometimes  we do decide to clean out the drawer of clothes and decide to give items away because we don't need them anymore or they don't fit.  It is the same in our lives,,, as we clean out  our heart drawers, we find we don't need things anymore or they just don't fit anymore because we want to make room for more of God in our lives. The things we once thought we needed are not important anymore.  We can gladly give them to Jesus and he replaces them with more of Himself.

The dresser that Andrew is building for Rose will also be a place where they will use the top of the dresser as a changing table.  She will have her clothes changed, her diapers changed, she may be washed and have oil and lotion rubbed into her skin.  As Rose is cleaned and has new clothes put on, her parents will pick her up, love her and hold her tight.  What a wonderful picture of Jesus being our caregiver that wants to "change us".  He wants to take off our dirty filthy clothes of sin and put on new clothes and make us feel clean again.  He wants to wash away our sins with his blood.  He wants to rub into us the oil of the Holy Spirit to make us a new creature.  A person that smells good and is full of the fragrance of the Heavenly Father's love.  He wants to pick us up, hold us and cuddle us so we can feel His love and pleasure. 

Just like the carpenter that carefully constructs and measures the wood to make a beautiful dresser that is crafted into a useful piece of furniture, we find that God formed us and constructed us in the womb.  He carefully measured us and crafted us with all the things we needed to be the beautiful person He created.  We become the person He envisioned when we allow Him to fill us and are used for His glory.  Every part of our body and mind has been crafted by the great Creator.  He created us intentionally and purposefully with His master plan so that we would be the person He desired for us. 

 When Andrew is finished making the dresser, he will place it where it can be used and others will be able to see its beauty and the dresser will fulfill its purpose.  When God finishes making us and crafting His beauty inside of us, then He places us  where He wants us so we can fulfill His purpose for our lives. 

Reflection: 

So as I contemplate the dresser and the truths God reveals to me, I began to ask Jesus to show me the drawers of my heart.  Show me the places I need to clean to make more room for Jesus.  Let me clean out the busyness of my life, to make more room for Jesus.  Let me examine the things I store in my heart and throw away the things that are not pleasing to Him.  Let me become as a child being changed on the changing table.  Let me allow God to change the sins in my life and throw them away.  Let Him clothe me with His goodness and righteousness.  Let me allow him to rub in me the fragrance of His Holy Spirit.  Let me be as a child fully trusting Him and allowing Him to hold me close, cuddle me and love me.  Let me feel His secure arms wrap around me and feel the presence of His heartbeat as He holds me close.  Let me allow Him full control to place me where He wants me so I can be used for His purpose and glory.