Crazy Cut
by Oliver Carlos
In the 1980s, the crazy cut flooring became very popular. As I have observed, before this time, floors were just plain concrete or wooden planks. The crazy cut is made of several irregularly shaped marble slabs that are laid out like a jigsaw puzzle. Then a white filling binds them together, covering the spaces between the slabs. When it dries off, the whole surface is then polished into a smooth and shiny finish.
When my parents built our house in 1982, I carefully observed how the laborers did their stuff. I also held in my hands the raw marble slabs before they get permanently laminated on the floor. They’re raw, rough, and shapeless. But I’d say they’re beautifully colorful, and they look very durable. My Mommy told me that these are rare stones, and they come from a far-away province called Romblon.
When the crazy cut floor was finally completed, it really looked awesome! It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle right under my feet. What’s great about it is that the seemingly ugly individual pieces, when put together, became one big, wonderful picture! Each marble piece now looked very important and meaningful. Without that one piece, the whole or the totality of the floor image would be incomplete or lacking.
This crazy cut floor helps me understand Romans 8:28 (NIV) clearly.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
For me, the individual marble slabs can represent my experiences. There are happy ones as well as sad ones. The sad ones are ugly, and shapeless. In real life, our bitter moments don’t look fitting with the good ones, just like one slab doesn’t look like a perfect fit with the others.
But the verse says that all things will be useful materials in God’s plan for us, in his project of building the best version of ourselves. In God, there is no wasted pain, no futile teardrop. Even the sad chapters of our lives, God can transform them into something good. One day, we will all see the beauty of them all.
God is putting all our experiences together like the crazy cut floor, yes, every one of them, ugly and beautiful, sweet and bitter. He’s binding and polishing them into one shiny awesome picture. One day we will see and appreciate why we had those sad chapters of our life. Someday we will see God’s purpose in everything. Indeed, all things work together for good.
So don’t despair if things aren’t falling in place according to your plan and timetable. The most important thing is you put your life in God’s hand, trust him with all your heart, follow his leading, and wait to see the awesome finished product.
