A Work in Progress

            Are you in a hurry to be perfect? I know perfection is what I strive for in myself and often times, in others, but I fall short of my goals and my expectations for others don’t always make my grade. I still struggle with trust issues, occasional anxiety and impatience with myself, family and friends. What about you?

            I forget that I am not the one in control of my life and God did not put me in control of other people. He is the artist.  He is the one sculpting me into a beautiful creation. 

            Ephesians 2:10 says, For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

            We are currently studying Lisa Terkeurst’s Unglued at church. Last week she talked about Michelangelo’s unfinished works called “prisoners.” Part of the statues are sculpted and the other parts are still in blocks of stone. If you see someone you care about who is partially unfinished, do you take out the chisel and attempt to change them? You can do that through verbal criticism, by offering self-help books, or if it’s a spiritual issue, by sending them countless devotions or Christian books. When our strong suggestions fall on deaf ears, we become a frustrated artist.

            I believe God allows the frustration because he wants us to let go and let him do the work. Philippians 2:13 says, For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

            God is working in me. God is working in her. God is working in him. He is the one enabling his created to please him. I must learn not to snatch the chisel out of his hands! His work is so much more beautiful than what I can create!

            Whether it’s our desires for ourselves or another person, our job is to pray. We can pray for God to make the changes. We can even tell him how we visualize the finished piece of art, but we have to get out of his way. The master is at work.