The Masterpiece Observer
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."
In his younger years, our grandson, Hudson, was absolutely not a water lover. He was a water tolerator. His preparations for the pool were quite tedious, requiring every generation of our family to pitch in. Honestly, I’m pretty sure Queen Esther, herself, never underwent such intense preparation for her presentation to the king as Hudson did preparing for the pool.
First, there was the task of slathering his entire wiggly body with sun screen. This was followed by the strain of squeezing and tugging him into his damp swim suit, yanking on his water-wings, fighting with him to blow them up, and struggling to cram all ten toes into his water-shoes. In the meantime, other family members were busy locating his baseball cap and Ninja Turtle beach towel, cleaning the sand from his sunglasses, and of course, (and most importantly) packing his snacks. This process required half of our pool-time, numerous trips back and forth into the house, and lots of coaxing. But, finally we would head to the pool, where, after all these preparations, Hudson had absolutely no intentions of getting near the water. He was simply content to be an observer by the pool! (as evidenced by the photo of Hudson)
All that work for nothing! Now don’t get me wrong. We were happy to help Hudson get ready for the pool if, indeed, he would get in the pool. That’s what love does. But, this was frustrating! And no reminder of his many preparations for the water made a difference.
Some days, do we transform into a Hudson? Just as we lovingly invested time and effort to prepare Hudson, our loving Creator invested time and effort to prepare us. Ephesians 2:10 calls us God’s masterpiece, meaning, we are His greatest piece of work. And Ephesians 2 allows us a glimpse into our creation and helps us imagine how God thoughtfully equipped each of us with everything needed to fulfill our ministry. As He crafted us, He could envision our entire future living out the gifts He assigned to us.
But some masterpieces never fulfill their mission nor live up to their expectations. Remember, after all the time and effort given to prepare Hudson for the fun of the pool, he never even got his big toe wet! He was simply our “Masterpiece Observer,” watching everyone else having a great time in the pool. All the preparation, effort, and expectations wasted.
As God’s masterpieces, His vision for us was a long time in the making, requiring precise detailing and forethought. God has expectations for us today. So, look around and find those opportunities for doing good, recalling that God Himself placed them in your path long ago. Rest assured that your loving Father is smiling as you eagerly meet these opportunities to bring Him glory today. May we never stand back as a masterpiece observer. Instead, may we always seek to be a Masterpiece Participant with God in the work He long ago planned for us to do.
Father, how incredible to realize that we are your greatest piece of work. Grant us the strength to live our lives accordingly.
Blessings,
Rita