This month at our ministry site here in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa five of us are working in construction at a private high school while the other two do ministry at another high school.
This month we have hauled lumber on our shoulders, put up and taken down scaffolding, varnished, scrapped and sanded cement off bricks, burned trash, and much more.
At first we were looking at the bricks and thinking, “Seriously? Sand cement off bricks? What is the point of this?” It seemed to be kind of a strange thing to do to us girls, but as I spent the last few days really looking at the sanding process, God reminded me of this scripture, “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah? ?64:8? ?ESV??
This is how the Father sees us. We are the clay being chiseled and polished each and every day to mirror His image. He is molding and bringing us into the fullness of who He has created us to be on this journey. We are his beautiful masterpieces.
Each day that we spent sanding bricks, I would look back behind myself at every brick I sanded, and I found myself having this sense of accomplishment, this sense of pride in the work I was doing. So I sanded harder and I took more time on each one to make them look good.
As God molds us He looks at His progress and He rejoices when He sees more of Himself there every time. John 3:30 says “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Jesus loves us just the way we are but He loves us too much to leave us where we are at.
So when you feel uncomfortable or you feel a pinch here or a pinch there, just know that God is still working in you. Pressing you, chiseling you, and molding you into a beautiful masterpiece that reflects His image.
We as children of God will never be perfect. Yeah let that sink in real good to all my perfectionist out there. Go ahead take a minute………Lord knows I’m still walking that out daily. We will never be perfect. Jesus Christ was the only perfect person to walk the face of this earth. But here is the good news….His grace abounds in the deepest of waters, even when we fail or mess up.
You and I are works in progress till the day we step into eternity with God. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians? ?1:6? ?ESV??
He isn’t finished with you yet. Press in to the hard moments, the uncomfortable, and sometimes it seems unbearable moments. He is always right there to bring you out on the other side looking more like Him.
He is molding you and bringing you into the fullness of who He has called you to be. Don’t run or be afraid of the process. Let Jesus take the wheel and let Him do His perfect work.
