After I complete a pen I inspect it for imperfections and defects. I look to make sure that the colors, size, and texture of the top and lower barrels complement each other. I check to make sure that the top and lower barrels come together without gaping. I make sure that the tip and the end cap match up with the edges of the barrels. I feel each pen for rough spots. I check to make sure that the pen writes smoothly.
Many times I will disassemble the pen and put it back on the lathe because I am unhappy with some small flaw that needs correcting. I may need to get the cutting tools out again or I may just need to run through the sanding process once more. I may need to use the barrel cutter to even the cut of the barrel so that the tip, band or end cap do not gap when put together.
God does the same with us. As He works in our lives, He inspects us for those areas that need to be smoothed or rework. He is not opposed to disassembling us and putting us back on the lathe when necessary. He is like a loving Father who disciplines and corrects his child. Proverbs 3:11-12, “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”
Meditation Starters:
How is God working to make the needed refinements in my life?
Do I submit to God’s loving correction?
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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1 comment:
Scott,
Great post, and oh so true. God will keep working on us to get rid of all in us that's not of him or like Jesus.
And I know that you're a meticulous worker, so this analogy is a good one, since God is meticulous in his love and care for us.
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