Block of Granite
My wife’s dad, Gerald, was an amazing man. He had an uncanny ability to see potential in things. He would buy a fixer-upper house and make it into a beautiful home. He saw its prospective value when others looked away. If he had been a sculptor, he would have seen a work of art in every block of stone.
The great artist and sculptor Michelangelo once said: “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free!”
Jesus is our Master Sculptor. He looks beyond our obvious flaws and uncovers the best in us. We may see a noisy little girl, but Jesus sees a maturing woman of God. We may see a sweaty-faced little boy, but Jesus sees an emerging man of God.
Jesus sees the victor in every victim. He sees our potential when we only see hindrances. As we struggle in life in our confining “block of stone,” Jesus is working to set us free. Be encouraged today. You have dreams and thoughts for a better life. And Jesus knows your thoughts. (Luke 6:8)
Jesus saw the panic in the eyes of the widow when she lost her only son (Luke 17). That boy was her solitary hope for survival. But in her desperation, Jesus set her son free from the “stone” enclosure of death and restored her family.
No veil could conceal the disappointment that the woman at the well had experienced (John 4). After five failed marriages, her dreams and hopes for the future were in tatters. Her memories of past mistakes had become her “stone” enclosure of immorality. But Jesus spoke words of healing and hope to her, and gave her a reason for living.
Sitting on the limb of a tree, Zacchaeus longed for a better life (Luke 19). He lived in the “stone” enclosure of wealth and power. He could buy whatever he needed except a fulfilled life. His material goods only magnified the fact that his life was drifting into an abysmal situation. But Jesus saw his void, and filled it with His love, and set Zaccheaus free.
And then there was the rich young ruler (Luke 18). His robes of splendor could not hide his soul of rags. But Jesus saw the potential this man had trapped in a “stone” enclosure of pride. When the young man rejected the freedom that Jesus offered, he chose the captivity of self-importance. Conceit is a captor, not a Savior.
The good news today is that Jesus looks upon our heart (1 Samuel 16:7). You may feel that you are trapped in a hopeless situation. But Christ knows all about your situation and is more than able to set you free from your stone enclosure.
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