“I am a little pencil in God's hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.” ― Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living
There is a great story in all of us waiting to be told by an unseen Hand. It is written in the language of the spirit, across the surface of time and to be read by those we love. Within this story, the Great Author has visions, stories, adventures and wonders to describe to a world longing to be caught up in the greatest story ever told. Yet the Great Author consistently chooses a small pencil with which to write these wonders and inspire the hearts of those who have forgotten that things like fantasy, adventure, danger and courage even exist anymore.
One day, the Pencil, in a fit of depression, decided to give up writing and refused to yield to the hand of the Great Author. “I’m not like the pen,” it complained bitterly, “I’m dirty, unrefined, and common. I’m tired of being sharpened and having my words smudged and misunderstood. Why can’t I create epics, symphonies and great novels that will last for ages like the quill instead of these small doodles and notes that hardly get noticed. I refuse to write for you any longer.”
The Great Author, patient yet persistent, took the pencil, small as it was, from its drawer and placed it on a clean sheet of linen paper. “I created you,” the Great Author spoke, “to speak for me, to share my heart, my thoughts and my love to the world. You have forgotten that I chose you and I use you precisely because you are who you are.”
“There are five things you need to remember,” he told the pencil, “before I send you into the world. Always remember them, commit them to memory and you will become the best pencil you can be.”
Here they are:
1. You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be guided by a greater wisdom, imagination and purpose than yourself. You know only what you’re experience has revealed, there are wonders you do not not know that are beyond your imagination that only I can show you if you yield to them.
2. You must experience a painful sharpening from time to time or you will become blunt, dull and useless. Withdraw within yourself and you will be safe, but pointless. You message must be sharp, clear and powerful. You will need sharpening from time to time to become a better you.
3. You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. It is built into you so don’t forget to forgive yourself and others. This is perhaps what makes you more wonderful than the pen or the quill.
4. The most important part of you will always be what is inside. It is your message and what I use the most. That means I need to draw it out into the open and use it up.
5. On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write. You must continue to express the thoughts and the heart of the Great Author and when the story is complete and I lay you down, then you will know that it has become our story, yours and mine.
The pencil understood and wrote whatever the Great Author wanted. And when it was totally used up and was no more, it had become part of the Greatest Story. Email Subscription:
I absolutely love this message! I especially love the quote: “I created you,” the Great Author spoke, “to speak for me, to share my heart, my thoughts and my love to the world. You have forgotten that I chose you and I use you precisely because you are who you are.” It’s a great reminder that when we feel lost, just remember that we’re part of a much greater story!
Thanks for reading it and sharing your thoughts. I don’t know if I wrote this to encourage others (which is doubtful) or just as an expression of my life and sojourn. I have to keep learning this lesson over and over again.