It's My Life?

This has a little bit to do with the post before, sorry for the repetition.

It's my life. It's a statement that we constantly hear. From the song by Bon Jovi, to the classical statement of "It's my life, I can do what I want!" Fortunately, that's not the entire truth. It's not really our life. We tend to ignore the simple and profound fact that our lives belong to God. Yes, we have been granted agency, but to believe that we should use our agency solely for our benefit, for our life, is to ignore the true purpose for our agency. The greatest purpose we can have in life is to serve others; whether that is our family and friends, or the people suffering in Haiti. Each day we should seek out God's will, and then proceed to do it. If we are asked to serve at times of inconvenience, we must be willing to accept the call and serve. By doing so, we will find that the days are better, that our lives proceed more smoothly, and that we are happier. We will become better people, and we will become more capable of serving those within our sphere of influence. So is it really our life? It's our life in that we can indeed choose to do what we will, we have been given agency. However, we should utilize our agency in order to give our lives to God.

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for [God's] sake shall find it." Matthew 16:25

A Tool

The hammer hits the nail every time. Strike after strike it slowly builds the work of the Master. Nail after nail is pieced together. The hammer, intent on his work, is unable to see the bigger picture. He is aware of only two things, the nail, and the Master's hand. He moves on, unaware of what lies ahead, of when the job will be finished. Occasionally, after the continuous pounding, the continuous work, the head begins to crack and the metal begins to fail. The Master, recognizing the strain, places his tool into the fires of the furnace, and reshapes, remakes it until it is better, more capable to continue its work. And so the work goes on under the capable and understanding hands of the master. The tool is still unable to completely understand the work he is engaged in, but through previous experience he begins to understand in a small manner what he is a part of. The work takes shape, and the tool moves on; from nail to nail, from place to place, always working, always in the Master's hand. At times he questions. He questions the strain, the strain with seemingly little reward. But what he fails to realize is that through the constant refinement, cracks, and strain he has grown. He has grown more than he could have ever done without the constant strain under the Master's hand. And it has moved the work forward. Perhaps in only a small way, a nail here, a nail there; the work is stronger. And what more, it has brought Joy, indescribable Joy. And he serves the purpose for which he was created, and what a glorious purpose it is. To be a tool in the Master's hand.