We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we could walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
I attended a dinner event recently where I heard a young man share the testimony of his life journey. It was impactful. He spoke about growing up with a disability and he shared how he hated his life back then. He described how isolated he felt when society treated him as though he was “different”.
As he grew up however, he gave his life to God, and suddenly he realized that all the challenges he had faced in those early years, were part of his story. Those challenges were to be embraced, not rejected. He could now look back and see how God was preparing him for his current role. A role where he could now serve others (who society may consider “different”), with love, acceptance, dignity, and respect. In a world where we are encouraged to reject challenges, the young man was able to testify that God used those challenges to make him what he is today.
We serve a God of process, a fact often forgotten in our modern-day, triple-venti, nonfat, non-dairy, sugar-free vanilla latte world. We forget that the great oak tree, must start with an acorn, and that the acorn must survive the threats of nature to become the glorious, magnificent, sturdy tree that we so often admire. Paul reminds us that we “are his (God’s) workmanship, created in Christ, Jesus for good works,” which God prepared beforehand for us to do. All the good, bad, and challenging moments of our lives are inevitable components of our human experience. They are part of our stages of development, part of our story, and part of our life testimony. These moments are to be embraced, rather than rejected (James 1:4). God wove them and continues to weave them into the fabric of our being to prepare us to serve others, with love, acceptance, dignity, and respect.
Are you going through a tough time in some area of your life? Are you experiencing opposition at work or at home? Have you been fighting the process? Maybe it is time to embrace it. Maybe this is part of the preparation for what you hope to be, a deeply rooted, unshakeable oak tree, fit for the Master’s use. May his grace be sufficient for your journey, as your story unfolds. You are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works!