The Sculptor chisels away…

It has been several months since my last post.  My blog is titled Not so Random Ruminations:  My personal journey towards God.  Over the last several months, my journey towards Him continues.  At times it has been slow and other times it has been fast but what I love about my God is that He walks right beside me and paces me depending on what He is trying to build or correct in me.  There are times, when I can walk with Him fast and at other times when the chipping away of myself is hard and it makes me go a little slow.  I have to process.

But at every step of the way, He is there!  He is patient and kind or brutally honest and prodding.  It depends on the topic and it depends on my heart.  Am I willing to listen or do I want to walk away?  Do I listen fully or half-heartedly?

The last several months have been all about the listening.   There have been times when I have wanted to interrupt, wanted to go a different route (my route!) but the Lord keeps pacing me and moving me in His direction.  I just have to keep letting Him chip away.  But chipping away is not fun!

Years ago I visited the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy.  This is where Michelangelo’s statue of David is found.  I remember standing in front of it and being amazed that every muscle and definition and line was so perfect.  It was just awe-inspiring!   Here is an enormous piece of marble in which an earthly sculptor used a chisel and other unknown tools to me and chipped away at this until David was born.  It took him 2 long years…in fact, some accounts say it took him over two years and he worked on it daily.

I am a piece of marble in a master Sculptor’s hands.  The Lord has this master plan of my final “look.”  He chips away with His fine chisel and is working on this and that and giving me definition.  Sometimes He has to stop or move over to another part of the marble block.  Unlike the David, I am a living piece of marble and I protest and say:  “Oh, not there.”  The Sculptor knows when it is time to chisel and chip away at each spot.  He does not move if I want Him too but He is always aware of the time to chisel and smooth.  Someone in our church group last night said that maybe we wiggle sometimes and boy, do I do that!  Wait, Lord!  That is an uncomfortable spot.  You are getting too personal now…or wait…I want that piece formed this way.  Are you sure you want to smooth that out, because I kind of like it?

But my Master Sculptor is all knowing and I have to trust that what He is creating in me is the ultimate statue that will show me in all He intended me to be.  He will take my whole lifetime to continue the work.  Michelangelo had a deadline,  God does not!  He won’t give up on the final product!  He won’t get frustrated and He will chisel until Yvonne is complete.  Now, that is a committed Sculptor.

He loves me so much and is committed to me as His creation.  He has decided how long I will live and He will chisel away until I am formed more and more perfectly.  I may not get it and I may understand the direction His artistry is going….but I have the most perfect hands working on me.

Lord, make me willing to always submit and to stop wiggling! The statue of David is beautiful but His work in me is destined to be even better….I just have to let Him continue His work.