Still Under Construction
Well, now, friend, how in the world are you doin’ today? Come on up here on this here front porch and git yourself settled right on down because what we’re about to talk about is richer than a pot of peach preserves simmerin’ on your grandma’s stove. This morning I was watchin’ a plump little ol’ chipmunk try to drag a pinecone twice his size across my yard. He tugged and scooted and fussed like he was tryin’ to move a mountain with a teaspoon. And right then the Lord nudged my heart and whispered, “Friend, that’s just like you thinkin’ you’re finished when I’m still workin’ on you.” Well, that’ll make you blink twice and set your coffee down real gentle. So, lean in real close now because Ephesians 2:10 stands tall and steady sayin’, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
From the very beginning, God’s been in the business of creating beauty out of absolutely nothing. Genesis 1:26 tells us, “He made us in His image.” Psalm 139:14 reminds us, “We’re fearfully and wonderfully made.” He didn’t toss us together like some leftover beef stew. He shaped us with intention, purpose, and divine fingerprints. Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in us will complete it.” That there means you’re just not finished yet. You’re not forgotten. You’re not a mistake. You’re a masterpiece in progress, even if you feel more like a tangled up ol’ fishing line than a woven tapestry.
Dr. Charles Stanley once said, “We struggle to see ourselves as God’s masterpiece because we only see the work in progress. We see the knots, the flaws, and the loose threads. God sees the beginning, the middle, and the glorious, finished product.” Romans 8:29 says, “He’s shaping us into the image of His Son.” And, friend, if that’s true, then James 3:9 ought to stop us in our tracks. It says, “We bless God with our mouths and then turn around and curse people who are made in His likeness.” How can we criticize anyone else when they’re just as handcrafted, just as loved, and just as “in progress” as we are? How can we call someone a bad name or compare them to some critter in the woods when God Himself stamped His image on them? If He’s not finished with us, then we’ve got no business actin’ like He’s finished with them either.
Gracious Father, help me see myself the way You see me. Remind me that I’m Your unfinished masterpiece and that You’re shaping me for the good works You prepared for me. Teach me to honor others as Your handiwork too and to love them with the same grace You show me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now, I declare, friend, as you walk off this porch and wander on back into your chores for the day, hold this truth close that God’s work in you is a whole lot steadier than an ol’ turtle that refuses to hurry and more faithful than a sunrise that never forgets to show up. His grace is so much richer than warm molasses on a winter morning and more patient than a beaver building a dam with just one little ol’ stick at a time. Let that truth settle in your soul like a quilt warmed by the fire. And walk on knowin’ the Artist is still painting, the Potter is still shaping, and the Father is smiling broadly because He knows exactly how your beautiful, adventure-filled story ends.
