Jan Smith

Gorleston Baptist Church

 

The man stood at his workbench and eyed up the task in front of him. There was certainly a lot of work still to be done. He had been working on various projects throughout the past day and although he was feeling a little weary, he knew that he would be unable to stop until all his tasks were finished.   He stepped back from his bench for a moment, looking at the piece of wood from various angles, trying to gauge the shape inside. He always felt very excited at this point as he handled the wood to sense the life within, the potential, the finished article.   He looked more closely at its form. There were knots and lines upon it that looked as though there had been damage in the past. But he only saw these as interesting facets where fungus had grown into the wood and given it more character, making it unique and distinct and which made the wood more beautiful to behold as a result.

 

 So it began. He lifted the chisel and began to carve, to slice, to chip away at all that was not needed.   The wood seemed to resist at first but then sat more comfortably in his grip. As the man progressed, the shapeless lump became living, took on meaning and purpose and felt good in his hands. As he worked away at all the unnecessary edges, the shavings fell away to the floor to be swept up and burned later when his work was complete.   The more he worked, the more satisfied he seemed to become, completely absorbed in his task and whistling whilst he whittled away, happy in the knowledge that soon there would stand a thing of beauty before him to be admired, reflecting his creative ability to make something out of nothing.   Finally, he turned the sculpture in his calloused hands and felt the surface. He reached for sandpaper and rubbed it over the wood, leaving no rough edges and ensuring that the beauty of the final carving was fully displayed.   It had taken more time than he had anticipated but he was pleased with the final result. Just then, a voice came from the kitchen, it was his mother calling him, “Jesus, your dinner is ready!” He put down his carpentry tools and walked away from the bench, still whistling to himself, content with his new creation.

 

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation, the old has gone, and the new has come! – The Bible)