Sunday Snippets: The Masterpiece

Isaiah 64:8 "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

Imagine with me for a moment...You are very good at creating beautiful and striking art of some kind. Maybe sculpting, maybe painting; but whatever it is, it's amazing every time. Imagine you are working on a painting, for example, and this particular work of art you've been slaving over for nearly a year. Day after day you swirl the colors and patterns together, forming a piece of beauty that will bring tears to the eyes of those who see it. Now...you've just finished your incredible masterpiece, when the painting itself speaks to you. "I REALLY don't like the way you painted these sections", it complains, "I can't even stand to think of someone looking at that part of me that you made!" As you survey once more the lovely painting, perfect in every detail, your heart sinks. The painting doesn't appreciate your labor of love!

Obviously this is just a story I made up. However...can you see a bit of an application here? God is the Master Potter. His works that he does in and through us are unparalleled. And yet do we complain about this or that? Do we gripe to God that so-and-so has that awesome talent...and we don't? Or maybe you are very self conscious about something physical. Maybe you have big feet, or ears that stick out, or you don't like the shape or size of your nose. Are we, as God's masterpieces that he knit together in our mother's wombs, complaining about what He's done?! Do we criticize, by our thoughtless whining, God's perfect plan in forming us exactly how He did? Wow. This is such a convicting thought! As children of the Most High God, our identity ought to be in Him, and in His Son's atoning work on the cross for us. Let's not ever forget that God made each and every one of us to be a beautiful masterpiece to show His love to the lost world! Let's not ever rise up against our dear Father in ungratitude for how He's chosen to form us and our attributes. The Potter knows best!
Mykaela