I am blessed to be able to work at a job I sitting at my desk multitasking. I have work issues which need coordinated to a resolution. I have calls I need to make and some I want to make. I have several chat conversations going on plus email strings being written. I’m watching a couple of short videos and just grabbed another cup of coffee. Busy, busy, busy; but that doesn’t mean important.
I wonder “Where would I be willing to go if I knew, if I knew for certain, that Jesus was taking me there?” Where would He take me? Where would He want me to go? What path, what trials, what hardships, heartaches or horrors would I need to go through to get where He would have me to be? I’m busy. I’ve got people depending on me. I’ve got a plateful at the banquet hall and I’m just getting started. I’m admired, respected and in demand.
I follow Jesus and I let others know it. I do not try to be pushy (sometimes you can do things without even trying) But I do want them to know why I am different. Sometimes I am asked why I am the way I am or what makes me different. I am happy to tell them about Jesus.
It is incredibly encouraging for me to see the looks in their eyes as I give them 30 years of “He’s still working on me” in 30 seconds. If I get more than 30 seconds I let them know He is not the reason I am the way I am. Because being His is who I am. I desperately want there to be enough of Him in me for others to want to follow Him.
And I wonder if I knew where He was taking me, would I want to go? If I knew what we were going to go through, would I? After all, I am a child of God. I am forgiven and going to heaven when I leave this world. So why would I want to go through stuff? My best answer is rock. You know, like granite or marble, hard rock. The kind that is resistant to change, not at all pliable and quite satisfied with just sitting around with a bunch of other rocks collecting moss and doing nothing. That is what I am without Jesus Christ’s intervention.
Michelangelo was a gifted sculptor in the sixteenth century well known for the massive seventeen foot block of marble he used to reveal his strong, vulnerable and very human statue of King David. I said reveal because he did not build the statue from pieces of marble.
But rather he took away what did not need to be there. He did not just simply peel away what was not needed. With a vision of what was to be, he used sharp chisels and heavy hammers, then fine files and delicate finishing tools to produce the magnificent work of art which remains highly admired hundreds of year later. It would never have been accomplished with gentleness or tender caresses. The stone was far too resistant.
Had it cracked during the process it would have been discarded as a piece of rotten fruit. Some people thought the original stone was a beauty as it was and never appreciated the results. Because it was intended to be a lasting monument, much of the original material had to be removed. It began as a rough piece of marble and was transformed into a masterpiece fit for a king. It is worth admiring because of the effort put into creating it, the quality of both the craftsmanship and the material as well as the testimony of the life it represents.
The way Michelangelo crafted his masterful artistry to produce such an enduring figure is similar to the approach God is taking with your life. It is painful at times, some much more than others.
You will be deprived of what you thought were important to your completeness. An area may be struck a heavy blow and then not followed up with a refining touch until long, long after. Pieces of your life which you felt were important will be cast aside as unusable. Some who admired you in a previous capacity will disdain your knowledge and comfort with Christ. God never intended for you to just sit around and wait for heaven. He intends for you to make a bold and lasting statement as to the impact He, as the artist, has in your life. He created the marble and gave Michelangelo the talent and vision to transform it into visions beyond mere craftsmanship. Jesus is working each day in your life to transform you into a masterpiece fit for the kingdom of heaven. He created, molds, carves, smoothes, and caresses. He knows exactly what needs to be removed because He has a vision of who you are to be in Christ Jesus. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows how stubborn and resistant you can be to change. He knows how long it will take to accomplish His desire. He is not willing that you perish. His desire is for you to be complete in Him and completed by Him and completely His. When you are finished, when He has achieved His desired masterpiece, then you will be fit for His Kingdom.