There’s an old story about a young apprentice who worked under a skilled carpenter. Day after day, he watched his master shape rough timber into beautiful tables and chairs. But one morning, while sanding a board, the apprentice winced in pain. A tiny splinter had embedded itself in his finger. Frustrated, he muttered, “Why do we always get hurt doing good work?”
The carpenter overheard him and smiled. “You’ll never shape wood,” he said, “without sometimes feeling what it feels.”
The young man didn’t quite understand until years later, when he became a master himself. Every time he caught a splinter, he thought about how Christ – the true Carpenter – entered into our world to feel what we feel. He didn’t shape us from a distance. He bore the splinters of our sin and the roughness of our humanity with His own hands.
So when life hurts, and you’re weary of the work God has you doing, remember: He’s shaping you into something beautiful, even if you get a few splinters in the process.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”
– Ephesians 2:10
Stay steady in your calling, brothers and sisters. The splinters are proof that you’re being shaped by the Master’s hands.
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