Have you ever taken the time to think about the power that lies within the choices we make? To be honest, I have rarely done this, but as I sit here this morning in a small coffee shop in Manheim, Pennsylvania, I’m realizing there’s a great deal of power in the choices we make on a daily basis. They shape and guide us in a direction that most often leads to our final destination. For some, the journey to the final destination is similar to the process of a world-renown sculptor – there were many imperfections along the way, but somehow we managed to find the resilience to make the right choices needed to create a beautiful masterpiece. For others, the final destination isn’t what we planned for or imagined. The choices we made through the years led us in a direction that looks more like a piece of art that never seemed to get finished.
When I think of beautiful art, I think of Michelangelo’s statue of David. The statue of David was crafted out of marble and has a very interesting story behind it. If you know anything about marble, then you know that certain aspects of marble are remarkably beautiful, while other parts have many imperfections. The art behind creating sculptures out of a block of marble comes from being able to carve around and chisel away at the imperfections in order to show its beauty.
Prior to Michelangelo being contracted to construct the statue of David, there were two other men who were given the chance to take on the project – Agostino and Antonio Rossellino. Agostino is only given credit for shaping out the legs and feet. For some unknown reason, he never completed David. It was ten years later that Antonio Rossellino was contracted to complete the work. His work came to a complete halt when no real progress was being made on the statue. It was at this point that the marble block would lay untouched and wasting away to the elements of nature for the next twenty-five years. It was in 1501 when Michelangelo was contracted to complete the work of David. It took him two years to complete the masterpiece with a hammer and chisel.
Michelangelo was contracted to create and complete the works of other men. His work involved hammering and chiseling away at an imperfect block of marble. Similar to Michelangelo’s contract, men are contracted by God in regards to our sexual purity. Sexual purity is a big deal to God and He expects us to hammer and chisel away at an imperfect object (our lives) in order to create a beautiful masterpiece (our final destination).
The only way I have found to effectively hammer and chisel away at my imperfections is to make wise choices. In order to make wise choices on a consistent basis, I rely on my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. However, there’s still that selfish streak that causes all of us to make poor choices regarding our sexual purity – even when we do have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Michelangelo was obviously determined to live up to the terms of his contract. He allowed his God-given talents, persistence, and wisdom to complete the statue of David. Each day he woke up, he had a choice to make. He could either choose let the imperfections of the marble lead him in a direction where gave up, or he could choose to let his talents, persistence, and wisdom lead him a direction that resulted in a beautiful masterpiece.
Like Michelangelo, each of us has a choice to make. Will we choose to live up to the terms of our sexual purity contract with God, or will we allow our past mistakes and imperfections to continue leading us down a road of destruction?
There’s a great deal of power in the choices you make. It’s time to start making the wise choices.