His Masterpiece
Posted by Priscilla Carr, February 1, 2024
I heard about a girl who grew up feeling unloved. A familiar story? Yes. Too familiar. This particular girl was placed into a family that had issues like all. She became so responsible that it was rumored she didn’t need parenting. But, she did. She longed for the guidance that was assumed she already had. But, she hadn’t had it. Love was another thing it was assumed she had. She was responsible, capable, smart, and friendly. But, deep down, she still yearned for something more.
She sought love, protection, and acceptance from those who were older, mainly from school teachers, and her pastor. She was so misguided by what she would learn from them. She was laid bare and exposed, and she knew she was unsafe and uncared for. So, she began to protect herself, because she believed that no one cared enough to guard and guide her. She had heard about Jesus while a youngster and loved what she’d heard about Him. But, He didn’t seem too involved in her story; He didn’t keep her from the hurt, pain, and lovelessness.
So, she ventured out into the world to see if there was possibly, perhaps, maybe, love or security, maybe an inkling of either… she found neither and began to despair. Not aware of what, or rather Who, she sought was actually seeking her…
And, of course, He found her. That woman was me. And we have lived happily ever after. I wish! I really did think that life after encountering and believing in the God of creation would be sin-free and lived way above the fray of life. Ha! But, for a little while, He did allow me to experience the after-glow of being initially filled with the Spirit. And I thought life was going to be simple and full of victories. I didn’t realize that all the sin that I’d experienced and participated in had shaped my identity. I had to be reintroduced to what my Creator said about me, and I had to believe Him.
I’d learned I was unlovable, not worth fighting for, a member of an inferior race and culture, ugly, not worth protecting. But little by little, year after year, God chipped away at my old identity to reveal the truth. I am His masterpiece! Thank You, Jesus! He says in 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.” So, not only have I been purposefully, craftily, impeccably made but, I also have a fore-ordained purpose. I am here for a specific purpose that God had in mind for me before the world began. And so are you.
There are no perfect beginnings because we’ve all been born into families of those who sin.
Even the godliest families are not without sin because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And culture and experiences have told us constantly that we don’t measure up; we need to either reduce this, augment that, buy the latest gadget or gizmo or car or home, or trade in our spouse, etc., in order to be acceptable! And God says you are already His masterpiece if you’ve been recreated in Christ Jesus. You are accepted and have purpose in the plan that He’s ordained. And God will even use “all things”, the hurt and pain of this fallen world, our sins, and the sins of others, for our good. (Romans 8:28)
God reminded me of one last thing. As He told Peter in a dream, “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean” (Acts 10:15). God was foretelling an encounter Peter would have with a Gentile named Cornelius. God showed me that I was calling myself “unclean.” I was guilty of believing the lies I’d been taught about myself rather than believing the One who created me and told me who I was—His masterpiece! To put it mildly, I sensed God’s displeasure with that. Actually, it was more like I felt Him saying, “How dare you!”.
Let’s encourage each other to believe God even if everything and everyone around us would tell us otherwise. And let’s learn to live in this new identity that we have “in Christ”, thanking God for loving us so dearly.
“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His Love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Eph. 3:16-19 NLT)
Priscilla Carr was born in NYC, but has lived in metro Atlanta since 1979. She is a Navy veteran trained in electronics which God used for a 30-year career at the FAA. She uses her training to provide audio support to Touching Hearts Ministries, and is the Editor and Producer of “A Burst of Hope” podcast. She began her adult new life in Jesus in 1990 right before leaving the Navy, and today she exudes her love for Jesus. She is the proud mama to two rambunctious fur kids, Gracie (Lab) and Faith (Pit-mix). Priscilla was encouraged by elementary teachers to write. She took creative writing courses in High School and college, but in the mid-eighties, she stopped writing. The desire to write has been recently reawakened, and she is thriving in her new writing adventure.