It was a milestone of an era. Everyone I knew kept a coffee can of nails. There were all types & sizes… roofing, finishing, 10-penny, and framing nails. And they were bent. But why keep bent & used nails? Why not throw them away?

My parents, my friends’ parents & families had experienced the Great Depression. They threw away very little. When a wood structure was taken down the boards, nails, screws, everything that could be salvaged was kept for another day. Every garage & shop had a coffee can of nails.

I remember digging through the can looking for the right nail, then taking the nail to a hard surface and hitting it with the hammer until it was straight. Once it was straight, it was ready to be used.

Ya know, God is like that. We are all a bunch of bent nails in the coffee can of life. Good News, the reason we still have breath is because He sees value & purpose in our lives. God is intentional. He knows what He is looking for when He digs through the coffee can of people. He knows every nail is bent and will need to be straightened before it can be used. He knows that the nail cannot straighten itself. Only He has that power.

The decisions I have made in life resulted in my bent & gnarly condition. Some may think God will use their bent ways in His work. Have you ever tried driving a bent nail? Others may think God is going to beat us until we straighten out. For me, God allowed life to bring me to the point that I cried out for Him. And here is the Miracle of His Love. That pounding on the hard surface…that pain…Good News! That is the pain that Jesus took for me as they drove nails into His hands and feet on His Cross. “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5.

So, for 44 years the Holy Spirit has been working on me…. getting me straight. But God is a gentleman. He must be asked. This is why I pray Psalm 25:4,5 everyday, throughout the day. “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Are you ready to get your life out of the can of bent nails?