Remember this swing? One of my favorite spots to sit and think and pray and basically watch my little corner of the world? Well, it needed some attention.

An old swing, left here for us by the previous owners, it appeared never to have been stained or sealed, or, if it had, it had long since worn away. We actually thought we’d lost it for good a couple of times, due to it being blown over by the strong winds that blow through here, but Kevin was able to reinforce it, and it remains stable. We’d eventually like to build a stationary arbor-like stand that is set into the ground and hang a swing from that, but this old gal is still usable and I’ve grown kind of fond of her. So, I decided that I’d give her a face lift.

Yesterday, I pulled out a can of semi-transparent stain/seal that we had used for the posts to our hammock. It was beautiful on those, especially after rubbing it down quickly after applying the stain. That was my intention here, but after the first try of that application, it was apparent it wasn’t going to work. The wood was simply too dry, and wouldn’t allow it to be rubbed off, so it went a little darker than I’d have liked and went on more paint-like, but I was committed now. I had to follow through.

So, I rolled it on, all over the flat portions of the swing, and after it was soaked in, the stain started flying back at me with each roll. I was covered in little specks and drops, even though I was trying not to get it on me. I went back through with a brush to fill in the smaller cracks and crevices, and in between all those slats. After a couple of hours, it was done.

As I was washing my brush out, and putting supplies away, Kevin got home and stared at me.

You just can’t paint or stain without getting yourself covered, can you?

And he’s right. I can’t.

And you know what?

I can’t love someone else without getting myself covered up in it either. Neither can you. Love has a way, like paint, of splashing back on the giver. It soaks into the other person’s dry heart, but, if you’ll stay committed, it will only be that way for a while before it becomes saturated and it starts flying back at you. Ultimately, the more you give, the more you get.

The old girl is looking good, seemingly breathing a sigh of relief at having a new lease on life. Maybe I’ll give her a test drive later and ponder the fact that I still have some of the evidence of how much I love her on my skin…the evidence that love splashes back.

Because, well, those are the facts of love, after all.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossions 3:14 ESV

“Let brotherly love continue.” Hebrews 13:1 ESV

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11 ESV

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 ES