A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
I love the analogy of one's life being the work of a Master Craftsman.
After all, not one of us made ourselves. Everything we are is from the Maker, the Molder, the Lover. The One whose very work is to love the universe into existence.
Each of us is placed in His forge. Some us are unformed, unfashioned; we have not yet let His hands do their work on our souls, those hands which possess all might and all gentleness. Others are scarred or even shattered from conflict. Perhaps the enemy we fought has been struck down but we are left in pieces and need repair. Perhaps the enemy is still at our doorstep, waiting to take advantage of our weakened state. Whatever the case, the Master takes us in and begins His healing work.
The Father first breathes his Spirit with the bellows, heating the Fires of grace until they are white-hot, ready to melt and purify even the most stubborn of souls. We may at first be reluctant to enter this fire. We may wonder whether our current malformations are preferable compared to the all-engulfing flames of the Master's forge. C. S. Lewis shows us how hard it can be to let go of our personal demons in his work "The Great Divorce." Sometimes we would rather hold tight to the sin we know and reject redemption, which often appears mysterious and painful.
The truth is that these flames are made of purest love. If they appear alien to us, it is because our fallen natures have been blinded to the reality of the totally self sacrificial love that the Father offers to us. But here is what is strangely beautiful: it is completely our choice to enter the furnace or to reject it. In any human blacksmith's forge it would be unthinkable for the metal to speak back to the metal-worker, much less to refuse his designs. Yet this is exactly what our Maker allows us to do. We are not forced to obey the Father; we are not forced to accept His gift. But our purest perfection will always lie in total surrender to His hands, in making ourselves malleable and open to His plans. After all, only He knows exactly the materials He has to work with.
Once we are made white hot in the fires of His Spirit, the Craftsman uses His hammer to form us into the masterpieces He meant us to be. This hammer is His Son, His Word, His Sacraments. Striking over and over, he knows exactly where the metal is weak. He can tell the good parts from the parts that need to be restored. Slowly, the cracks in the metal disappear. Its former beauty and purpose is restored. It is strengthened until it is stronger than ever before. Over time, the Son leaves His indelible mark on our souls. We belong to Him. He is etched into our very being, shining forth as an inscription for the world to read. It is good news; it means salvation.
Our Father continuously forges our souls to His liking if we allow Him to. In truth, we can never remain perfect in this life. We must always return to His fire to be renewed in love. In this way we are made into bright tools and weapons for Christ to use to set the world on fire.
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