Saturday, April 14, 2018

Masterpiece (inspired by Rudy Francisco)

Masterpiece (after Rudy Francisco)

The hands of time
are holding a chisel.
I'm just a block of ice
hoping I don't melt
before I'm turned
into a masterpiece.

- Rudy Francisco



A block of ice should be kept
in the freezer where it
can be preserved.
I am preserving myself,
but my heart is not in an ice chest.

Ice sculptures are beautiful,
but they are cold and unfeeling.
I'd rather be clay than ice.

Clay can be easily molded.
Its possibilities are endless.
It is not limited to one shape or form.
It is held by careful hands,
and when it is touched,
fingerprints are left behind.

So I press into God
as He presses into me,
and I pray that His fingerprints
are the first thing they see.
I want to leave a lasting impression.

When I am tempted
to crack under pressure,
His hands are steady and sure.
I see work in progress,
He sees finished product.

The pottery wheel spins,
and then stops.
The process is complete.
All that's left to do now
is to light me on fire.

I wrote "Masterpiece" almost three years ago in the summer before my senior year of undergrad, at a time when I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. I felt so lost and unsure of myself, but I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to be on fire for God. I knew what gifts I possessed, but I wasn't sure how to utilize them, and as I watched others around me achieve what I thought was success, I began to doubt God and myself. I asked Him over and over, When will it be my turn? His reply was short and bittersweet: In My timing. There was no way I could argue with that. I was reminded of Isaiah 45:9, "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands'" (NIV)? I had to realize that while God's hand is not always gentle, it is steady. The Master knows the masterpiece before the sculpting process even starts. In the years since this poem was written, my faith has grown exponentially. I can testify because I've been tested, and I know I'll be tested again. I'm still a work in progress, and I always will be, because every time He completes a work, He begins a new one. I used to have a fear of melting, because back then, I thought I was ice. Turns out, I'm more fire than I thought...and there is so much more to ignite.

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