Control – Chisel

A few months back, my co-teacher and I were planning our weekly PSR (or CCD) class, and the topic was on God’s plan for your life. He shared a video with me and wanted my thoughts on sharing it with the class. The first time I watched it I was only half paying attention but the video had some funny parts and I thought it would make a great addition to our class lesson. It was not until I watched it for a second time that I gave it the attention it deserved and listened to the message it was trying to convey. There is a specific part in the video where the phrase, “Control – Chisel” is said and the context hit me like a ton of bricks. You see, the entire premise of this video was to show us that in order for us to be more Christ-like in our life we must be willing to be “chiseled”, or formed, if you will. It is through this process of formation that we start to remove false motivations, clever masks, and ultimately, where we can break open the doors to our hearts in order for Christ to shine through – letting us become who we are created to be. There have been many times that I have used this phrase when joking with friends whenever they were trying to be in control of a situation; and they have used it on me in the same manner. It was not until recently that I really started to understand the true nature of this tiny little statement in my life. In the last few months I have really been made aware of situations, choices, and struggles that have felt like a chisel, removing pieces in order to temper my soul to reflect more of Christ and less of me. For me, I always find myself asking God to show me areas of my life that need to be worked on, but whenever it comes time to work on them, I always find myself talking and justifying my way out of that uncomfortable nature of formation. If you find yourself relating to that, congratulations you belong to the human race. The process of dying to self and allowing God control over your life so that we may become who we were created to be is a scary proposition. From a worldly perspective, this path of following Christ and allowing Him to form us is an arduous journey best left alone, as the process is too painful and leaves us feeling vulnerable. But my brothers and sisters, we know and believe in more than just a simple worldly perspective. Christ wants us to become who we are created to be to the fullest extent. In order for us to achieve this process the chiseling of different areas of our lives must take place. It is not until we truly learn this idea of self-sacrificial love that we will begin to understand the true beauty of the Resurrection and the Passion of our Lord. I encourage all of you to ask the Lord to show you areas in your life that need to be chiseled and formed to His will. I warn you though, He will show you if you ask. Give him the opportunity and let go of your control so that He can show you the greatness you were made for!