Anvils and Wrenches

I find the process of restoration to be quite amazing and very fulfilling. Last week I went to buy the first two anvils for my Forging Faith project. You may have seen that post. The gentleman at the shop was so very generous and wanted to offer a little support to the ministry, so he gave me a bucket of old tools and steel. To the average onlooker, it was just a bucket of rust and junk. However, to a blacksmith, it glowed with opportunity! One of the items was a rusted old monkey wrench, rusted orange, with a broken handle, and corroded to the point that the mechanism would not budge. This is just like us… We are broken, corroded, and fail to fulfill our purpose before we are restored through Jesus. Our true potential and purpose sit rusting away until he takes us through His restoration of our hearts.

The monkey wrench is a great tool for twisting and bending metal. Most smiths have one in their shop. I was able to spend some time removing the rust, restoring the mechanism, and lathing/fitting up a new handle. This tool will join the ministry project and have a redemptive story to add. I’m grateful to find such tools.

Anvils are typically very old. Most were made in the late 1800's and early 1900's. I love that! I like to imagine the stories and the history that accompany each anvil. Who was the smith? What work was done on it? It is fun to use your imagination about them. For these two, I am also curious as to their future stories. Who will encounter the gospel while swinging a hammer on them? Where will we travel together to work?