A Work of Art
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
My husband and I recently spent a couple days in the Mystic, CT area. While there we visited the Mystic Seaport Museum. There were many historical boats and ships on display. We even were witnesses, and could have been actively involved in helping to raise one of the sales on a large whaling ship. There is a lot of history in this area which my husband and I enjoy. They had several exhibits of shipbuilding and they were even restoring the Mayflower II at the time we were there. We saw films and pictures depicting how some of these ships were made and/or restored. It took years of planning and then more years to actually build the ship. But to watch how these ships were built was really remarkable. How intricate the woodworking, the mechanics and everything else that went into it really made my mind want to explode. What detail went into these massive pieces of art.
Later, as I thought about it all, I was reminded of this verse in Ephesians 2:10. It just happens to be one of my favorite verses. I am somewhat creative, loving to do cross stitch and sewing from a pattern. I am not so great at painting pictures, but love to paint things and redo rooms in the house. When I decide to redecorate a room, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want and how I plan to get there, writing down all the details and getting a picture in my mind of just what I want the finished product to look like when I am done. I spend a lot of time planning beforehand and then more time actually working the redo.
God has spent a lot of time and thought planning each one of us also. The word "handiwork" in this verse means workmanship, craftsmanship. "That which has been made, of the works of God as creator". (Strong's). Paul was telling the Ephesians and all of Christians everywhere that we are His handiwork. We are His work of art, His craftsmanship. We weren't just thrown together by chance, but as the verse says-- we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works- which God prepared ahead of time. He had a plan and a purpose for us long before we were born. Just as those ships that were so painstakingly crafted, it was done for a particular purpose. A sailing vessel for pleasure was not created the same as a whale boat or passenger liner. Each one has its particular purpose. So it is with His children.
Psalm 139 is my "go to" scripture when things seem to get a little crazy and I lose my focus on what is important. It reminds me that I was not put on this earth by chance or by accident. I especially like verses 13 - 18, where it says that "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" It also says that He saw me, even before I was conceived in my mother's womb. He knew all about me, what I was going to be-- He incorporated all these things into my very being- long before my mother ever knew that she was pregnant. God had me in His mind and heart back even before the foundation of the world.
Are you feeling lonely, unloved, unlovable? Do you feel like you have no reason or purpose to be here on this earth? Take rest and comfort in what God has said in His Word. He has crafted you. He has fashioned you into just what He wants you to be. You aren't meant to be like everyone else. You are a unique gift from God. He knew from the beginning of time that you would be conceived and brought into this world, to fulfill His purposes. He always had you on His mind.
Psalm 139:16
"You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You, the days of my life all prepared before I even lived one day."
(The Message)
~ ~ Donna
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