For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Not long ago I was glancing through some of the notes I’ve taken in the past year during church services. I love taking notes, maybe because it seems my memory bank has a hole in the bottom and if I don’t write something down it falls right out.

On one particular Sunday, the pastor spoke about being God’s workmanship. He said another word that could be used in this verse from Ephesians was God’s masterpiece. At first I bristled about that. Who me, a masterpiece? Even on my best days I fall short of my own expectations, let alone God’s. I’m a worrier when I should trust God for my family’s safety, my career goals, how I’m going to accomplish everything I need to accomplish. I can also be impatient, irritable, quick to speak and slow to listen—in other words, just generally a sinner. And did I mention those qualities often show up on my good days?

My pastor made the point that a masterpiece says as much about the creator than of whatever it was he or she created. So I pondered that, too. As a writer, do I feel that way about what I create?

As a matter of fact, I do. I know each of my books represent me—from the heroes and heroines to the villains, in some way they all come together to form a story that came out of my imagination. Each one somehow has my voice—or at least my interpretation of one.

Maybe feeling like God’s masterpiece has more to do with Him than it does me, or how I feel about myself on any given day. Maybe knowing how prized I am by God, even with all my flaws, will help me gain more patience, less worry, and the talent of a better listener if my gratitude for that love gives me a greater desire to become more like Him.

The verse goes on to say we’re created in Christ Jesus for good works. Now there is the reflection of the creator if ever there was one. As Christians, we should reflect our creator.

If we know we’re prized by God, and He created us with a good purpose, then it seems to me this is the key to a happier, more contented life. Perhaps we’ll find our abilities to perform those good works easier to do the more we trust God’s love and involvement in our lives.

So that’s my prayer for today, to trust this verse to be true. If God created me for good works—even lovingly preparing those good works for me beforehand—it’s my privilege to do that work, to live the life He designed for me. Maybe I’ll even see a glimpse of His “masterpiece”—in me!

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