His Poetry
In Ephesians 2:10 the Bible says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The word “workmanship” has a few possibilities of translation from the Greek word “poieó” from which we get the word “poem”. I’m not a poetry guy. You won’t find me just reading poetry for fun. I do love music though. I’ve helped write music and been a part of creating a few tunes that gave me an emotional reaction. It takes a lot of effort to create music that doesn’t grate on your nerves and even more so to get a song that you’re happy with. There are only a few tunes we wrote that I can listen to over and over again. Perfection is unattainable but if you chase perfection you can seize excellence.
Whatever your preference for the translation of that word in Ephesians, don’t lose the meaning. You are a work in progress. Your blemishes are a part of the process. Your unflattering characteristics are a great starting place for the Holy Spirit’s process of molding you into the image of his Son. The question is when are you going to stop resisting his hand in sculpting you? He has already started.
In the Gospel of John there are two questions recorded that have intrigued me over the last few weeks. Both questions are asked during stories detailing Jesus healing the sick. The first one occurs in John 5 when Jesus asks in verse 6, “Would you like to get well?” When I read that my first reaction is “duh” of course I do. My spiritual response has been at times the opposite. Sometimes my response is something like “My flaws make me who I am!” We can be attached to our flaws. We can be scared of life without them. The possibilities of being made whole can be overwhelming. One of the first thoughts upon hearing that I had leukemia was something like “This will never be over! I’ll always have to deal with this.” Now that I’m in remission and my oncologist appointments become less often, there is anxiety over the lack of testing and making sure I am well. It can be tempting to remain in that twilight zone of fear because it becomes normal and maybe even safe.
The second question is posed in John 9, this time by the disciples in verse 2. “Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” Jesus response is comforting to me especially when it is someone else’s suffering that he is addressing. Jesus replies “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” That is wonderful news for someone else. When it comes to my suffering I don’t like that answer. I do not believe that God gave me cancer. It could’ve been a result of a chemical that I came in contact with or even stress. Suffering is the consequence of a fallen world. Death entered the world because of man’s sin but God’s power and glory is not limited by sin or those consequences (Romans 5). In fact, God’s power and glory are seen in spite of sin and death.
As a Christian I want to have God’s worldview. A step in that process is beginning to be convicted by the atrocities we see in our world. One great aspect of my struggles in life is that I’ve become more sensitive to the pain and suffering around me. Our response to those events says volumes about where we are in the maturing process. Early on I was able to point out how terrible and awful sin was while simultaneously ignoring my own faults. A “super” power we all seem to have. I’ve matured to the point that on some days I see those activities for the potential good outcome. The God level illustrated in John 9 is to see those unfortunate events as opportunities to step in and make a difference. To mix it up a bit. Get our hands dirty (John 9:6). Maybe make some poetry in motion!
Travis
We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4