Chipping Away

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Psalm 139:14

SOME JOURNALISTS HAVE a love/hate relationship with those who edit their copy for style, punctuation, and grammar errors. They’ve written a story that to themselves seems perfect. The lede is a good one (and not buried), the research is great, and the quotes are interesting. This piece could very well be an award winner somewhere down the road.

When the story goes to an editor, though, there are quite often big changes. Writers are always having their words chipped away and refined. If a writer is willing to be humble and recognize that there’s a purpose to the process, the end product can turn out to be so much better.

When we allow God to hone our imperfections—no matter what they may be—we become better husbands, better fathers, and ultimately, better Christians. The process can often be agonizing for any number of reasons. Pride could be involved, and maybe some shame, too. There might even be a good deal of ignorance of what God has in store for us.

We’re not perfect, and we can’t pretend to be for long. It might be possible to fool other people for a while, and we might even be able to fool ourselves for a time. Yet no one will ever be able to pull the wool over God’s eyes. He sees the things in our lives that need chipping away. Allow Him to do something about it.

BOTTOM LINE

No matter how hard you may try, you’re not perfect. Ask God to sand off your rough edges today.

Moment of Strength: Hebrews 12:6