Ephesians 2:10 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. (NLT)
It started out as a simple school assignment, but turned into something much more, in more ways than one.
My son Michael's 7th grade Social Studies teacher assigned her students the task of making a pyramid. There were no specific criteria given about how tall, how big, or what type of materials needed to be used. She simply encouraged the students to use their imagination.
When my son told me about the project, I immediately put on my crafty-mom hat, and started thinking about how much foam core board I would need to cut three triangles and hot glue them together in the form of a pyramid. But when Michael told his daddy about it, the project took on a whole new twist.
Before I knew it, we were all at Lowe's shopping for lumber and nails.
Lumber and nails? I said to my husband, as if he had forgotten, "Ummmm, honey, it's a 7th grade project." He smiled and simply replied, "I know."
You see, I only had a vision of how much sawdust was going to be strewn into my house during this new found project, and I certainly didn't understand how a few 2x4's could be turned into a pyramid.
But my husband had a clear mental vision of what could be, and we just had to trust him.
Being a builder at heart and by trade, his mind could see the amazing end result before the building process ever began, even though my mind could not grasp it.
He and my son spent hours in the cold garage, measuring and sawing boards, and nailing the wooden pieces together. Step by step, a pyramid began to evolve, as we anxiously awaited for my husband's vision to become visible to the rest of us - and when it did, I have to say, it was amazing.
Here is the finished product after my son painted it with spray paint.
Now that it was finished, I could see my husband's vision with great clarity, and we all celebrated the 'A' that was surely in my son's academic future. But then something else amazing happened.
You see, my heart had felt burdened lately with concerns about the future; questioning why God is allowing certain hardships, and wondering what good could possibly come out of them. So as I marveled at this work of art crafted by the hands of my husband and son, God softly whispered to my heart, and said "Tracie, this is exactly how I am working in your life right now."
This gentle whisper, which my heart so desperately needed to hear, helped me to remember that God has a vision for all of us - a vision that we may not be able to see, much less understand, but one that is more wonderful than we can even comprehend.
God can already see what the future holds for each of us. Since the beginning of time, He has had a plan, and His Word assures us, in Jeremiah 29:11 and numerous other verses, that those plans are wonderful.
Wonderful plans for a future, and a hope. Plans not to harm us, but to help us prosper. Plans to bring us joy and peace. Plans to draw us closer to Him, and increase our reliance on Him alone.
In the same way that my husband had a clear mental picture of what he planned to build, God has a clear vision of what He is building in our lives. We just have to trust that He knows best, and let Him work.
If you are struggling today, with people or circumstances or worry, will you trust that God has a plan? Will you trust that The Artist is at work in your life, even if you cannot imagine or "see" what He is building?
Although I may not always understand His ways, especially during times of trial, I can take comfort in knowing that God has a clear vision of each masterpiece He is creating. What peace it brings to know that even though I cannot see what is to come, our Creator and Builder of life, can.
And I have no doubt, that when it is finished, it will be amazing, in more ways than one.
5 comments:
hey Tracie can you help me pray, im in a sticky situation I feel like. I have a boyfriend whom i met and when i first met him i thought he was a chritian and living right with God and after a few months I saw he was a christian but was not following God in many areas od his life. He didnt think much of his sin because he knows God forgives him or maybe he looks at it lightly because he is young. when i found out this about him i was disappointed but thought he could change with time. I thought "hey at least he is a chritian and he loves me even if he is not serving the Lord as I wish he was". Anyways, he has been pushing me to be intimate with him and he says that if we love each other its no sin. however i dont feel quite right about this. i love him and i have gotten into fights with him because when i say no to being intimate he feels im rejecting him. i dont want to loose him but i dont know what to do.. Ive told him to give me time but hes given me a lot of time and aww i dont know what to do. i know he loves me too and dont want to break his heart by saying no but i want to do the will of God.. Help?
Alexya, listen to God's voice...it's the only one that matters.
"Am I now trying to win human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."
~Galations 1:10~
This verse has helped me throughout many different situations and circumstances. I will pray that His Word touches your heart today!
Alexya - Kyla couldnt have said it better. Be true to yourself, and true to your faith. If this young man truly loved you, he would respect your faith and your goal for purity until you get married, and not try to guilt you into doing something you are not comfortable with. What a shame it would be to give away the most precious gift God has given you, to someone who may or may not marry you in the long run. Hop over to my friend Lynn's blog post from yesterday (www.lynncowell.com). She addresses this issue in a powerful way.
Remember that God will reward your faithfulness, and I would encourage you to pray about continuing in this relationship, and seeking wisdom about whether or not this person is who God wants you to be with. The Bible warns about being "unequally yoked", only because God knows the problems and pain we will encounter when we get into a relationship or marriage with someone who is not saved, or someone who does not take their faith seriously in their life. I have said a prayer for you Alexya, and pray that you will continue to be strong, that God will speak wisdom in your spirit, and that your boyfriend's faith will be renewed by the example you set. Take care friend.
Thank you Kyla and Tracias for your words and wisdom. I just feel stuck because he says every time I say "no" to being intimate he says im hurting him so much, that I am breaking his heart because I dont love him. And I do love him I just wish this situation would be simpler and i feel like I dont know what to do because if I were to break up with him I dont know what excuse I could give him I would hurt him a lot if I said "we are not equally yoked" and I would miss him so much. He has been a blessing to me helping me with things I dealt with like depression and anxiety. I would miss him a lot and would wonder if I would have stayed in the relationship maybe God would have changed him and made him become a more Godly man. Im praying that if God doesnt want us together for him to break up with me because I wouldnt know what to say i dont want to hurt his feelings.. :( thank you for listening..
Beautiful post, Tracie! I love how God uses the everyday ordinary stuff in our lives to show us who HE is and how HE's working in our lives!
Nice pyramid!!
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