Metaphors are illustrations of God’s lessons.
Recently, a friend sent me a brief video of an artist carving an image from a river rock that could fit in the palm of your hand.
Not only did this video resonate with my own experiences along life’s journey, but it illustrated many others I know who are struggling to stand up under painful circumstances.
Metaphors are a great way to help people understand something that is happening to them from a different perspective.
The pain we experience in life is not there to destroy us or to punish us. It is there because it comes with the world we live in.
Reframe painful life experiences by showing that in the hands of the Master Artist a beautiful thing can emerge from nothing.
We are smarter, wiser, more patient, and kinder when we turn our sorrow into joy and thanksgiving. But, before we can do this for those who we serve, we have to do this work in ourselves. A theory doesn’t help anyone – authentic experience does.
The Metaphor
The artist drew an image of a frog on top of the rock and then expertly carved the stone to remove the unnecessary material. The whole process of creating this work of art was done while holding it under running tap water. This flat image sketched roughly onto a hard surface was about to become a magnificent work of art.
The flat, sketched outline on the surface recalls the blurry ideas and images we have of who we wish to be but struggle to grasp or comprehend fully. We know the potential is there, but we aren’t sure we’re seeing it correctly.
The tools are protected from damage as the water pours down on the rock, while the stone avoids cracking from excessive heat. The video is shot in fast-forward and reveals the beautiful image that the artist had created in a very short amount of time.
Lori McNee, Artist and Host of “Art Beat with Lori McNee,” describes the process of creating a work of art out of stone and, in her descriptions, says something in such a way that I have to quote her here: (parentheses are my comments pointing out the metaphor contained in her words that I am seeing)
Lori: Choosing a stone is the next step.
(Many are called, few are chosen)
Lori: “Ideally, the sculptor will go to a quarry or the warehouse of a stone distributor and look around until a stone speaks to him.
(To be chosen, one must speak out and ask)
Lori: “Sometimes, a rock will speak to the sculptor, but they won’t know what it is saying…
(We cry out to God with our hearts and sometimes with a broken heart, we think we are making no sense, but the Master knows because He is intimate with every aspect of us as he has known us since before conception.)
Lori: “In that case, the sculptor should take it home and study it.
· “Let the stone dictate the subject matter (God will never make us into something we are not or go against how we are made up in our personality type)
· “Do not try to force it to be something it was not meant to be.” (Forcing anyone to be something they are not is doomed.)
When the artist completed this work of art, the flat image arose as a 3-dimensional sculpture of a toad. It’s beautiful. You are beautiful.
Our lives on this earth tend to make many of us hard, unyielding, and cold, just like that river rock. However, when we yield ourselves to Him, God creates beauty from what is laid in His hands. He pours the water of his Word on us with His love, mercy, patience, and grace. He drills down to our full potential to reveal His unique masterpiece in us.
You are a work of art; you are being made into the fullness of your full potential. So be patient with yourself and allow the work to continue.
Watch the full video below while reflecting on your own evolving life.
To view more videos like this, visit this YouTube channel.