The tine must be drilled to make room to insert the pen mechanism. The hole through the antler is filled with a brass tube, which will serve as the channel through which all of the necessary work can be performed in turning an antler tine into a pen.
The hole reminds me of the change that is made in the life of the believers. One of the first signs of new life is the things that we stop doing; the things that are drilled out of our lives. When Christ comes into our lives “old things pass away and all things become new.” In Ephesians 4:17-31, the Apostle Paul tells us not to live as the Gentiles, his term for the old way of life from which we have been separated. In verses 22 and 23 we are told to “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
The brass tube that is inserted into the hole in the antler reminds me of the Holy Spirit, who is given to us at salvation. It is the Holy Spirit through which God will work to form us into the image of His Son.
I must allow God to drill out the old things in my life and fill me with His Spirit in order for Him to form me into something new and useful.
Meditation starters:
What old things need to be drilled from my life to make room for the new?
Am I in any way hindering the work of the Holy Spirit through the things that I allow in my life?
Welcome to my blog!
I have often been amazed at how someone can take something of no value to anyone else and transform it into some beautiful piece of art or something that is useful and valuable. What had been discarded, lost, or forgotten takes on a new life in the hands of the craftsman that sees, not the trash that it is, but the value and potential of what it can become. My uncle has always been good at seeing the value where others cannot. He looks at a deer antlers and sees pens, stands, and jewlery. He has been crafting exquisite writing instruments, which are more a work of art than a pen, for the past five years. His pens have sold at the Thomas Kincaid & Terry Redlin Galliers, fine jewlery stores, and boutiques throughout the United States.
I have been fortunate enough that my uncle has taught me his trade. Working at the lathe I have many quite moments to reflect. It is here that God impresses upon me His procee of shaping and molding a man. God sees in me the value that He created me to have, when all I see is failure and worthlessness. He loving works in my life to take away everything that hinders me from being all that He desires. He skillfully sands and polishes until I shine with His glory. And ultimately, when He is done, I find new meaning and purpose that I have not know before.
Each time I look at one of my pens I can't help but thank God for shaping me into something beautiful! I hope you enjoy reading "Lessons from the Lathe".
I have been fortunate enough that my uncle has taught me his trade. Working at the lathe I have many quite moments to reflect. It is here that God impresses upon me His procee of shaping and molding a man. God sees in me the value that He created me to have, when all I see is failure and worthlessness. He loving works in my life to take away everything that hinders me from being all that He desires. He skillfully sands and polishes until I shine with His glory. And ultimately, when He is done, I find new meaning and purpose that I have not know before.
Each time I look at one of my pens I can't help but thank God for shaping me into something beautiful! I hope you enjoy reading "Lessons from the Lathe".
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