Naked David

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it." One of our core values at Redeemer is people. We value people, community and relationship. We value people above process, strategy, finance, buildings, ministries and meetings. While on holiday I was reminded of this in a rather unlikely place.

A few years ago we spent two weeks traveling around Tuscany. Part of the trip was spent in the wonderful city of Firenze. A smaller part was spent doing some stuff that the guide books say you are supposed to do. An even smaller part was spent looking at a rather impressive big white statue of a naked man. Surely no man could work out enough or consume enough protein drinks to look that refined? The statue was of course the famous David by Michaelangelo Buonarroti. Although I am pretty sure David was not the 13,5 ft in height that the statue puts him at, nor was he all polished marbley and smooth but nonetheless an impressive statue it is.

Something else caught my eye though, off to the side, in the not so pride of place position, with no queuing snap-happy tourists, was a half-finished sculpture. What caught my attention was Michaelangelos San Matteo. An unfinished sculpture, the only one to make it off the medieval drawing board from a commission of twelve, one for every apostle. I keep a picture of the sculpture on my desk. It reminds me of something that Michaelangelo is quoted as saying “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

A helpful reminder when we are in the business of dealing with people.

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