Ethan Allen Faith in an Ikea World

I had a conversation with my brother recently, while moving furniture, that Ethan Allen furniture is really great stuff. It's built to last forever, and it's worth the high price. Unfortunately, most people can't afford to decorate their entire home in one fell swoop from expensive furniture stores, so half of their furniture is hand-me-downs, a few pieces are high quality, and a few pieces are from places like Ikea. You can only afford to do so much at one time, and when you first move into a new home, you need things immediately--beds to sleep in, tables to eat on. You get what you need at the moment. The problem is that you get what you pay for; buying furniture from Ikea means you'll have to replace it in about three years.

In the past few months, I've dealt with a few things spiritually that have been difficult for me. I was praying this weekend about it, and I questioned God about these particular trials. I was reminded of my furniture conversation.

My faith has become more solid in the past few months than it would have been before. It's Ethan Allen faith now--built to last a lifetime and beyond. It won't fall apart under weighty pressure; it won't crack or crumble. Ethan Allen faith is so solid, it takes major effort to move it even a few inches away from it's position, and it's very costly--more than you might be willing to pay, actually, so it's tempting to settle for something cheaper, quicker, and in the end, much weaker. True and solid faith, like Ethan Allen furniture, is always the better investment.

Prov. 24:10, If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!