SAMANTHA ELLEY reflects on our journey with God as she encounters an extraordinary cabinet that’s also a work of art…
Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia
The Hannah Cabinet. PICTURE: Courtesy of hannahcabinet.com
“I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” – Philippians 1:6
As a journalist, I meet some pretty interesting people of whom I have had the honour of interviewing and sharing their stories.
Geoff Hannah, a cabinet-maker in Lismore, New South Wales, with his cabinet. PICTURE: Courtesy of hannahcabinet.com
One such person was a man by the name of Geoff Hannah, a cabinet-maker in Lismore, New South Wales. He is the creator of the Hannah cabinet and it took him six-and-a-half years to complete this amazing piece of furniture. It is made in a traditional European style and consists of 34 different types of solid timbers and veneers, four kinds of rare shells and 17 varieties of precious and semi-precious stones. The main frame is mahogany and the columns ebony.
There are so many drawers and small cupboards beautifully designed into the cabinet, that it is indeed a work of art. It is currently housed in the Lismore Regional Gallery but was unfortunately affected by the Northern NSW floods that occurred in February, 2022, so has been sent for conservation and assessment.
Just like the work that Geoff started and completed, God has done the same with good works in all of our lives. We may not see the process when it begins or even understand that we are changing, but as we journey on our path, that is exactly what is happening.
I know when I look back to when I first became a Christian at the wise old age of 14. I had discovered how much of a friend Jesus could be in my life. It was like an awakening, different to the heavy religiosity of my Catholic upbringing. I had someone to talk to and share my deepest thoughts and feelings.
Little did I know, it was the beginning of a very loooong journey that would take me through many highs and lows, wins and defeats, joys and sorrows. Basically, I would experience life but always with the knowledge that everything I experienced was part of the good work God had started, even before I was born. And He is still my confidant, although I have grown and matured.
Now at 56 years of age, both boys having left school and journeying on into their own lives, it leaves my husband and I to wonder and discuss what this next new chapter holds for us. Like the Hannah Cabinet, we aren’t finished yet, and at times when we get damaged, we may need a bit of fixing, especially while we live on this earth.
But there will come a day when we will be complete.
