Epoxy Does Not Save!
I just spent the week (from about 7am to
1am each day) trying to repair & beautify our laminate counter
tops.
On
day 5, I have NOTHING to show for hours and hours of labor. In fact,
our counter tops are in worse condition today than they were 5 days
ago.
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I found (what I thought would be) and easy DIY counter top kit online. I did a lot a research on the product and even bought the additional products that folks WISHED they would have had while applying the kit. After tons of research and video watching, I was excited and ready to update/fix our counter tops while the kids were away at camp. Just “3 Easy Steps” and I would have new counter tops!
Then,
epoxy happened. Epoxy happened ALL over the place!
Once
the counters were carefully painted (in a beautiful mosaic of browns,
black, and white) I was now ready to do the step others wished they
had done (but very few dared to do) . . . epoxy. I have never used
epoxy, and I know VERY little about it. The first coat was a
disaster. I tried to apply it like paint – thin and methodically.
But epoxy needs to be POURED on which allows it to flow naturally
where it needs to cover. The first coat was tacky (literally and
figuratively) with hundreds of pockets and holes everywhere. After
several hours of panic and research I did a second coat. I poured on
epoxy by the quarts and just let it flow. It looked like streams of
living water on my counter tops! Beautiful!
Then,
it dried.
While
the epoxy was curing it began leaving large holes in random areas.
Also, the edges and back splash areas were left lumpy with solidified
drip marks. Well, I thought, if coat ONE did not work, and coat TWO
almost worked, surely coat THREE would do the job!
As
I was mixing up my last batch I could tell something was wrong. With
epoxy you have to stir, stir, stir before you apply. As I was
stirring, bubbles were popping in the air before me. Although it was
fun to watch my little bubble factory, this was NOT suppose to
happen. Then as I began pouring the epoxy I could tell the texture
was off. It wouldn't smooth down (into that “liquid glass" form I had seen previously) but I tried my best to fix what I could. My
efforts weren’t terrible but they weren’t great either. Then the
mixture started heating up QUICKLY. It was burning my sponge brush
(leaving burnt sponge pieces every where) and then my hand started to
feel like it was on fire (I didn't have any gloves on). It was
burning through the paint cup onto my hand! I dropped it and it
landed in goopy, cloudy mounds all over the counter top. For hours
(through many tears and a couple of slammed doors) I tried to scrape,
blade, sand, alcohol, and heat the epoxy to remove it, but it was
virtually impossible. It was an absolute, utter mess!
So,
where is the Jesus lesson in this?
I
believe the Lord works for our good and His glory in all things. In
all of life’s joys and sorrows God is weaving together a beautiful
tapestry of grace. I like to think of my tapestry as a quilt. (I LOVE
quilts!) What was God doing in this particular square? To the outside
world, I merely have ruined counter tops. After all, they are
“just counter tops”. My husband and other family members reminded
me of this yesterday during the chaos. (I am happy to report they are
still living today.) But to me, this was a labor of love. four
loooooooooong days of labor. I wanted to fix and beautify our
counter tops on the cheap and (what I thought) easy. I did not want to
bother anyone else for help or money. But now I need help and I need
to spend money we don’t have to buy new counter tops.
Failure.
Or so it seems.
Let’s
liken my old counter tops to “man’s heart” (in its original
state) – flawed & sinful. And then perhaps epoxy (humor me
here) represents the world (sin) trying to cover and beautify those
flaws.
We can try to fix and beautify our lives with things of the world (epoxy). We can spend most of our lives laboring in vain because epoxy will never save. Ever. It might be a temporary fix and you might even fool people your whole life with it, but when it is all said and done, you are STILL that flawed and sinful counter top underneath. The only solution for an epoxified counter top is a new counter top – a new heart. Jesus! Only Jesus (despite what Lowe’s may say or offer) is in the business of completely changing your life. And there is no striving and hours of labor to obtain this. Jesus gives freely and he already paid the price, at the cross.
So,
when our kids return from camp and ask,
“What did you do this week,
Mama?”
My reply,
My reply,
“Nothing but a well researched, Jesus
lovin’ blog post.”
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