The pencil sharpener and I

I just discovered a new interest of mine...

Sharpening pencils!!!

It's really fun! You know. The kind where you get giddy because your ice candy is finally frozen enough to enjoy *waves at Miss Beng* or when you just discovered a new creature in your backyard. I love the sharpening sound when I start to turn the handle and see the shavings of the pencil pile up in the little transparent box below. What a sight to see. For me it's like seeing falling cherry blossoms... Sakura according to my half-Japanese friend Eiyu. Happy happy joy joy.

My colleagues here might think I have lost it because I keep asking if they have pencils so that I can sharpen it for them. They all gave me the same look of cluelessness. "Why the heck would you like to sharpen my pencil?" asked one of them, "It makes me happy, that's why!" Then I just smiled.

Hahaha. Call me weird but in sharpening pencils I realized some deep thoughts (or not so deep). Yeah, God speaks in the weirdest circumstances sometimes. I'm just grateful He speaks to me at all.

Did it ever occur to you that we are like those pencils? I bet some of you have realized that. Our skills/talents are being used everyday, even in the simplest things. Similarly, we use the pencil until the lead runs out and we have to sharpen them again. Sometimes, even if it still can write, you want to sharpen it more. It's better to write with a newly sharpened pencil, don't you agree? Either way, the pencil still is a very helpful tool to many of us. I like writing with a pencil better than a pen. I'm a messy writer so erasing the traces of my mistakes is kind of a relief because I can start with a clean slate.

Each of us have different abilities. Different strengths. God deals with us and uses us in different ways. I sometimes think that when we are getting dull in what we do (just like the pencil that is no longer sharp), God sharpens us. He shaves off the excess so we can function well and be focused on the task He prepared us for. He removes "extra baggages" in our lives that are hindering us from doing our very purpose. It will hurt (oh most definitely!) when we go through the sharpening process, like the pencil going through the blades (except that they don't bleed). Nevertheless, the outcome of the sharpening is fulfilling. It's like you're brand new. All geared up for the new challenges that life will throw at you. Nice nice.

It's a cycle, you see. After some time, we'd feel like giving up again and dull in almost everything we do. Lost in seemingly endless tasks to the point that we feel useless. Countless problems start to say hello again and you begin to feel woozy and heavy at the same time. Yet behold, how good the Lord is! He doesn't let us stay in that state for a very long time. He doesn't want us to feel dull nor useless as we all are excellently and uniquely made by Him. Thus, God sharpens us until we see our beauty again. Oh what love!

Now, I am done with my pencil sharpening and I feel a sense of achievement doing that. I am now going to wait on God to sharpen me in the best way He wants me to be. Until that time comes, I'm going to accomplish the things that I need to do for the glory of His kingdom. Yeah yeah yeah!

Oh, I so love sharpening pencils!