A Masterpiece and no less

On a lovely white pillow in my room, is a cross-stitched art with these words from Ephesians 2:10 in the Bible ‘ 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.’

One night, as I stared at it, I found the word ‘anew’ jump at me. In Christ I am created anew. What does that mean? I thought about it and said to myself, ‘I am a masterpieces, I’ve been made anew in Christ Jesus, and with a new me, I am propelled forward to fulfil my original design. I was once broken, messed up, but I’m made anew now, recreated in Christ Jesus.’

I often wonder what God was thinking when He made me. I often joked with my younger sister that when God made me, He might have tilted the bottle for emotions a little too much into my mix. We laughed at the possibility that it meant that I had a lot of emotion in me, and my sister didn’t have much left to have! Jokes aside, I’m definitely someone with a wealth of emotion. Boy, do I ‘feel’ things. Some people call it sensitive, but I’m now learning to walk in my God given design, with boundaries of course.

I think when God made me, He smiled and loved me as someone made so perfectly in His image. It doesn’t mean I was robotically 100% perfect, but it did mean that I was His masterpiece. He dotted where He needed to dot, made my tear glands pretty ‘water-prone’ and gave me a wealth of empathy and love to draw from in Him. Formed me lovingly and breathed His life into me.

I once asked the Lord, why do you love me so much? Why do you invest in me so much when I am so broken? Why don’t you just like give up?!

I did it rather questioningly, as I often doubted and disliked myself.

And I got this visual image. I felt the Lord ask me, ‘Think of a favourite painting you did, like a masterpiece.’ and I remembered this beautiful dancing lady I once painted (and later on sold to a dear friend).

I felt the Lord say ‘Just imagine that picture, in all of its majesty, being marred, being trampled on – how will you feel?’

‘Gosh, I thought – I’d feel awful’, I thought. ‘And would long to take it back to restore it and love on it. I would also be pretty mad at the one who destroyed it.’

Thankfully, the actual art piece it is sitting in my friend’s house being loved on now. But the reality was this, I loved what I created so much and would intrinsically hate it to be marred. And strangely, there is no one particular reason I can give for my love for it. I love it because it’s beautiful, it reflects me and inspires me. It was something I took time to paint and the list goes on. I love it because its mine and I won’t stop loving it because its a masterpiece that I made, even though its sitting in someone else’s house.

And I realised, God made me beautiful and inspiring. I am His masterpiece. He took time and effort to make me, and every blemish and pain in me He achingly desires to restore, so that I can return to my original purpose and design.

In this life, we have been marred by sin and its effects – death, pain, anger, brokenness. And God doesn’t just give up on us. No matter how bad the marring, how shattered our soul or how broken our spirit. He picks us up tenderly. He chooses to make us anew in Christ, bind us together and work on us – so that we may live in our original design and fulfil the calling He has designed for us to do. And whether that design is to do good works in art, finance, scholarship, education, taking care of pets, agriculture or driving – it puts a smile on His face.

We are loved, and we have been made anew in Christ. No matter what the marring has been like, He has made us anew in Christ. And He continues the work of restoring our lives. No matter how bad the damage, or what crazy silly decisions we have made, He longs to heal, forgive and make us wholly whole. God desires us, as His masterpiece, made anew in Christ Jesus, to live that life that is abundant and fulfilling, filled with good works He planned for us to do from the very beginning.

What about you? Do you struggle with realising your worth? How are you designed? Comment in the section below! Or write me an email at paperheartpiece@gmail.com. Much love!