Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has
created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us
long ago.
Webster’s Dictionary defines Masterpiece as: a work done
with extraordinary skill; especially: a
supreme intellectual or artistic achievement
The Word tells us that we are God’s masterpiece. How does
that make you feel? Do you look in the
mirror and see that masterpiece or do you see flaws, scars, brokenness, and
wounds? Do you wonder how God could love
you knowing who you are and how you feel about yourself?
Maybe you’ve been the victim of abuse. Or maybe you suffered
at the hand of an over-bearing, demanding parent (or adult authority figure) who
told you you were no good and would never amount to anything. Maybe you struggled in school and were
labeled (i.e. “slow” or “hyperactive”).
Maybe you’ve made choices that you regret and are still living with the
consequences from today.
I can relate to most of the things above. I was abused as a child by a child care
provider and developed an eating disorder from that, my paternal grandmother
criticized me on a daily basis for my weight, hygiene habits (which were fine
by the wayJ),
and for the cleanliness level of our home, I was abused by my second grade
teacher and thus had a fear of reading out loud and struggled to even read at
all, I was sent to a “special ed” class when I was in fourth grade due to the
struggles with reading, and I was made fun of all through school because of my
weight.
I carried all of the scares, pain, brokenness, and wounds
into my adult life. I lived to please
others and struggled to find my identity. One of my college professors told me
to stop trying so hard to please others. I blew her off at the moment but later
I realized that she had hit the nail on the head. I struggled to find the place I fit in because
I was so insecure that I feared rejection since I thought others would feel
about me like I felt about me. Little
did I know that I was not my past. I was not the scares. I was not the pain. My identity was not found in any of the
things that happened to me. They may
have shaped my view of life, they may have influenced how I saw myself and
others, but they were not and are not my identity. I AM A MASTERPIECE and SO ARE YOU!!!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) This means that anyone who belongs
to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
When you go to an estate sale or auction you will often see
items that look like junk going for astronomical prices. That is because someone realizes their
value. Sometimes it might be hidden
under layers of dust and grime. A
masterpiece is usually framed well and if the paper seal on the back and the
glass on the front are in tacked, it can be taken out and reframed and returned
to its original value. That’s how it is
with us. The masterpiece of our lives might be hidden under layers of dust and
decay. When we come to Christ with all
our hurts, wounds, scars, and pain, He makes us new creations. He takes off our old “frame” and reframes us
into the beautiful masterpiece He intended for us to be.
Yes we might still have some hang-ups from our past, but as
we begin to see ourselves in the light of who we were created to be and in the
knowledge that we were created in the image of our Creator, we can begin to
walk in the faith God placed within us on the day we accepted His glorious gift
of salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMPC) For we walk by faith [we regulate
our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s
relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we
walk] not by sight or appearance.
God doesn’t only love us when we make the right choices or
if we don’t get damaged along the way.
He is love and as such His love is limitless and unreserved. It was never His intention for us to be
bruised, scared, wounded, or hurt in for first place. Sadly, the fall caused God’s perfect
masterpieces to be exposed to all the ugliness of sin in a fallen world that
often feels devoid of love and compassion.
1 John 4:8 (NLT) But anyone who does not love does not know
God, for God is love.
God’s design for each of our lives was planned and thought
out completely. When Monet painted a picture no one ever expected it to look
awful. He had a reputation for creating beauty. Go outside at night and watch the
sunset. The same God who created all the
beauty of the sunset created you. No one
says, “Wow, I bet the sunset will look awful tonight!” Rather, people drive up into the mountains or
go outside the city so they can enjoy it without the lights of town. Artists set up easel and canvas in an attempt
to capture the beauty of the sunset. If
God put that much thought and beauty into a sunset that vanishes within
minutes, how much more care did He take in creating us in His image?
Psalm 139:14a (NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and
wonderfully made.
As God’s masterpieces we can rest assured that He is always
watching out for us. He is working on our behalf. Due to the fallen state of our world we might
have faced or might still face hard times.
We might face abuse, abandonment, rejection, hatred, deception,
etc. but nothing can separate us from
our loving Heavenly Father who created us and who sees a Masterpiece when He
looks at us. You see He the Master of
our lives and He holds us in the palm of His hand. It is our job to stay put and to allow Him to
bring the healing, and wholeness, to give us wisdom, strength, and grace, and
to guide our lives as we look to Him in faith, trusting that He knows best and
is working all things for our good.
Romans 8:35 (NIV) Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or
danger or sword?
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