For almost 100 years, a huge piece of flawed Carrara marble lay in the courtyard of a cathedral in Florence, Italy. Then, in 1501, a young sculptor was asked to do something with it. He measured the block and noted its imperfections. In his mind, he envisioned a young shepherd boy.

For 3 years, he chiseled and shaped the marble skillfully. Finally, when the 18-foot towering figure of David was unveiled, his student exclaimed to Michelangelo, “Master, it lacks only one thing—speech!”

We are like that flawed piece of marble with God as the master sculptor. He meticulously whittles away at our life’s imperfections and makes something beautiful and useful. Like that piece of marble, we are destined for something useful, but only if we are patient enough to allow the master to spiritually sculpt us for his purpose.

Our usefulness is not necessarily determined by our public visibility or recognition. God often does His greatest work through those who never get recognition or notoriety. Matter of fact, the scripture says, “Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful…as a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.” (1 Cor. 1:27-29)

The simple truth is God uses simple folks like us to do His greatest work. We are in the trenches daily, among everyday folks who are struggling to make sense of life. The Christ in us, manifested through our gentle and quiet spirit, speaks volumes without saying a word. Because of our testimony, at the appropriate time God connects us with those who need Him, and then gives us the words to say. We don’t have to craft a speech or prepare a Scriptural dialog. We depend on the Holy Spirit to create the opportunity and then fill our mouth with just the right words.

Bottom Line
If you are thinking, “what am I here for?”, remember that you are called by God for a purpose, and that purpose is to live everyday dependent upon Him.(Proverbs 3) The essence of our calling is not “what am I to do?”, but it is more about “who you are to be.” You are to be salt and light wherever the Lord plants you. You will be salt and light for different people during different stages of your life. You may or may not be aware of who those people are until they approach you and share their hurts and sorrows. But rest assured, when that happens, its God at work in you fulfilling your calling.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9