So today I want to tell you about this experience I once had
while working at a week long summer retreat for middle schoolers called Junior
Youth Program (JYP). JYP takes place
once a year during Youth Week at Kanuga Conference Center and is by far one of
my favorite places to go visit.
A few years back, I remember we did this thing called an “Affirmation
Circle”. This was my first time doing
this, it was a little awkward, a little silly, but the end result of this is by
far one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.
Imagine this, you are going about you day, just living your
life. Near the end of the day one of
your friends comes up to and says that they need to tell you something,
something important.
“I see God in you.”
Whoa… How do you respond to that?!
Now sometimes you may hear someone joke about something
along these lines but imagine that your friend said this to you in a very genuine
serious tone, makes eye contact with you and tells you, “I see God in you.”
Would you believe it?
So in this affirmation circle, you took turns going around the
circle, you make eye contact with each person, and you tell each person that
you see God in each one of them. For
many people, this was the easy part of the circle. The telling part.
Then the other part was not so easy, the listening
part. Every person in the circle will
also take turns making eye contact with you and telling you, that they see God
in YOU.
Many times you can easily see the discomfort in people as
they stand there and listen to someone tell them that they are God like.
Why is it that we can easily see the good and kindness in
others yet we struggle so hard to see it and accept when it is noticed in
ourselves.
One thing that I remember that I heard in high school that
has stuck with me over the years is that you are like a slab of marble and God
is the artist.
Every thing that happens slowly shapes you and forms
you. As you continue to grow, you begin
to take shape but you are always shaped at the hands of the artist.
Now, there is a story that has become rather popular. This story is used in movies and literature
such as Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress. The story goes that when an artist would be
carving a sculpture, they would make a mistake, or chip off too much, or drill
out the hair wrong. When the sculpture
would mess up, they would fill it with melted wax, which would then harden and
be shaped to look like they had not made a mistake. But some artists had such a steady hand and
were so talented that they could carve an entire statue without any flaws, no mistakes,
perfect. When they did this, the artist
would sign the sculpture as “without wax”.
While this story is now mostly regarded as folklore, the
story is still a very nice one and to be honest it just works really well with
my story.
So tonight when you get home from school or from work or
from whatever practice you had tonight…look in the mirror.
And tell yourself…“In all places…At all time. I see God in you.”
“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God
he created them; male and female he created them.” –Genesis 1:27
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect.” – Matthew 5:48
We are created in the image of God. If we are made in God’s image, how can you
not see God in that.
You are a wonderful, special, one-of-a-kind sculpture. That is constantly begin carved and shaped by
the hands of the Creator God.
Made in God’s image.
Perfect.
Without wax.
