The eagle in the tree trunk

And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.  – Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
       
     

a chain saw artist at work 

Whenever to go to Punxsutawney, I pass “The Wizard’s Workshop” and never fail to admire the man’s skill. Owner Randy Rupert starts with a massive tree trunk, then, using a chain saw, creates exquisite eagles, Native Americans, pirates, bears, benches . . . the list goes on.
     

Last summer, when I saw his life-size pirate carving, I thought about getting it for my new front deck. After all, I am an avid Pirates fan. But then I got more creative: What if I gave the chain saw wizard a snapshot of my husband dressed up in his “mountain man” clothes and asked him to create a full-scale carving? Wouldn’t that make a great Christmas gift? I mentioned my brainstorm to my kids, who didn’t even say, “Mom, that’s a crazy idea.” I was seriously thinking about it until it occurred to me that if he went first, a life-size image of him in wood on my front deck would freak me out.
     
I’d still like to have one of the wizard’s unique woodcarvings, even if it isn’t a custom-made statue of my husband. I’m amazed at their beauty. But even more awesome is watching the creation take shape. I wonder if, like Michelangelo, he sees the image in the raw tree trunk before he even fires up his chain saw.
     
The creator of over 45 sculptures, Michelangelo said of one of his statues, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
     
God is the sculptor. I am the block of stone—or the raw tree trunk. He sees what no one else can: the angel in the marble, the eagle in the wood stump. And He’s lovingly carving, chipping, sawing, setting free what He knows has been there all along.

     
Dear God, You don’t just see what I could be, You see what I am. Even though the process is sometimes painful, thank you, Father, for setting free the person You made me to be. Amen.
       

Special-Tea: Read Jeremiah 18:1–4