Earlier this week, we found ourselves in Amish country. Now for me, one not given to flea markets, Shipshewana has never been that must-see destination that so many crave. I probably don’t need the home cooked family style cooking, and I resent having to drive “cautiously” slow behind all those buggies- Ok I’m kidding about the buggies , and yes, I really did enjoy the food. In truth it was a great opportunity for me to spend time with my wife, to enjoy some delicious home-made Caramel corn, and for Debbie to pick up some baking ingredients that she finds difficult to find in the “regular stores” in our own town. With little difficulty, we found ourselves in the heart of what is the third largest Amish community in the United States where all around you are antiques, artisans, and farm fresh products. And so, without apology, I purchased cheese curds, jalapeño -raspberry jelly, and the aforementioned caramel corn; and in each location, we enjoyed a rich conversation with sales people, collectors, or owners, and even at one stop, the owner of some Clydesdales.
But what we really wanted was an Amish dinner table– you know what I mean, one of those “monster”, solid hardwood, “you almost need an additional room to outfit”, kind of dining room table that seats upward of twenty-four people. And so, we looked at several of them throughout the day. Furniture stores in Amish country are like fish markets in Seattle– plentiful to say the least. But how does one know you’re getting a great piece of well-made furniture, and with prices for a table and chairs approaching $5000.00 one needs to find the best deal possible. And so we looked, comparing prices, finishes, lengths, and even the sales people themselves, and we eventually found a winner. Just two challenges remain; which of our three children can we tap for the money, and maybe more importantly, which room do I “gut” to fit this “beast” of a table? We’ve actually calculated that with eight adults in our family, seven grandchildren, and allowing for three more grandchildren for our soon-to-be married daughter, we need a table that seats twenty.
In researching the best Amish tables available, my wife happened upon an article that speaks to at least one dilemma in being Amish. What is it about the Amish that we crave, or maybe, what is it about their way of life that means they make better tables?
In speaking to his own way of life, Dennis, an Amish woodworker reminded us of what we all should really know– that simply labeling a piece of furniture as “hand made by Amish” does not guarantee the quality of its materials nor the level of its craftsmanship. He notes:
Wearing a hat and having a fascination for hooks and eyes doesn’t make anyone a better woodworker… Some are wrong to think a cabinet made by a suspender-wearing Amish man is automatically superior to any product out there.
Maybe he’s hit upon something here. He goes on to note the blessings and curses of being Amish– the blessing of working out of your own home (barn) and the joy of including his children in the business of his day. That’s a win but the negative is present as well– the tendency to take pride in the name Amish in order to sell a piece. In Dennis’ words,
Pride has been discouraged in our culture ever since it began in 1525 and was an abomination to Jesus, the Apostles, and the prophets of the Old Testament. Satan himself lost a seat in heaven to pride (Isaiah 14).
So where am I going with this? Some love the label Christian; they wear it proudly at times, tell people they’re sure they are saved and satisfied with their relationship with God; all the while caught up in the sins of pride and deceitfulness, or worse, and with little or no interest or participation in a local assembly. And often theirs is a life with no consistency in living out the principles designed and delivered by Jesus to be part of our spiritual diet. But they’re Christians all right– they have made that “decision”… They don’t really remember when… or maybe, as overheard, I’ve always been a believer.
What’s missing more times than not is a growing fascination with the person of God and the wonderment of delight that comes from daily looking into the face of God who saved us by his grace and through his Son has raised us to a resurrection life, if only to embrace his kingdom and his burden. That’s what the Psalmist finds compelling in the 16th Psalm.
I said to the Lord, you are my Lord; I have no good besides you. I have set the Lord continually before me… Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. (16:2,7)
And with that, I must add, an equally profound burden to be freed from the constricting shackles of sin in all its forms, by the power now working in us to reckon all those things as dead in us. This we must do (Romans 6).
So, maybe we should stop wearing the the badge Christian if we are unwilling to follow hard after him… I think Dennis was right when he said…
What we don’t really appreciate is the worship of almost “anything Amish”. Rather, by living more simply, and trying to hold fast to the Biblical principles, we hope to be a witness to the Father above.
Well said, Dennis…
MJC
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