Two Chairs and a Bench

I loved the pair of French-inspired pink velvet chairs the first time I spotted them in the antique mall. 

There was even a little bench that completed the set. I envisioned the elegance those stylish chairs would bring to my house. 

Until I saw the price. Unfortunately, each piece was priced separately and the price of just one chair was more than I would have paid for all three, so I reluctantly left them behind.

I didn’t get back to the store for a few months, so I couldn’t believe it when I saw the chairs and bench still there on my next visit. 

The prices were the same but I asked the owner if she would consider discounting them, since I was a frequent customer.

She told me she was surprised they weren’t snapped up as soon as she put them on display. 

“I guess you and I must be the only ones who like that style,” she said.

She named a price for both chairs that was half of what she wanted for just one. 

“I’ll even give you the bench, too, since I know you love them and will give them a good home,” she said.

 

My pink velvet chairs proudly anchor the corners of my living room, but I keep the bench in my bedroom. 

Under a window, it’s the perfect height for a window-seat. Or a prayer bench.  

I don’t think I have to be in any particular place to pray, but when I glance at the bench, it reminds me of a sweet place. 

Where every week during a time when I felt stretched and challenged, I spent a few minutes asking God to help me measure my words for a kinder, gentler version of myself before I stepped out the door. 

Where I continue to wait quietly to see what God might have to say to me.

Two chairs and a bench. 

The chairs grace my living room with a hint of elegance. 

The bench graces my life with an invitation to come pray, await and hope.

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Ps. 17:6