If you look at someone’s hands, it tells you a lot about the work they do.

You’ll come across hands that are lean and strong, with grease and dirt, and even a scar or two. It may be that they are the hands of a floorman.

The hands that push the sander, swing the mallet, and grip the nailer. Those hands do the work that transforms a room.

Many floors lose their glory with the grime and hazards that people bring to its surface. All that is stripped away with each pass of the sander as the floorman uncovers the bare wood.

If there are repairs, he replaces boards and fills in hollow spots with putty. There is more sanding to prepare the wood for stain and finish so the floor looks brand new.

The work is telling of the floorman’s skill.

There’s another Floorman whose craft is transformative.

You see, there is a corrosive force in life that leaves our hearts scratched, broken, and dirty. It takes this Floorman to strip, repair, and clean up the mess that has been made.

Every one of us needs this restorative work, and the only one who can do the repair and restoration of a heart scarred with sin, has to be a Master at His craft.

When you look at this Floorman’s hands, you’ll see that they touched the hurting and brought healing.

You will see scars where the nails were driven through to accomplish His ultimate work. The hands of the Master Floorman bring about the most important kind of repair, healing, and restoration – not to a floor, but to our hearts.

This season we celebrate the birth of this “Master Floorman” – Jesus Christ.

Continue reading the story with Marked by a Nail and A Story of Love and Trees.