For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” (Matthew 25:37)
Yesterday wasn’t a bad day. I mowed the front lawn and trimmed part of the fenceline. I made hair conditioner and rinse, then made labels for several bottles of home-made stuff. I got caught up on my revisions of my story and wrote two blog posts and worked on a third. I vacuumed the floors. I took Grace for a walk and made progress on two craft projects. Most people would say it was a pretty good day.
This morning, I look back and think, “But I didn’t …” and then I list things that have been on my to-do list for too long and the third blog post requires some information that I haven’t been able to find, and – unless I find another way – boldly takes writers where they may never have gone before. And even if I have the right to try to help science fiction and fantasy writers make their worlds work, there’s part of me that wonders if it’s not just a waste of my time. So while yesterday was a good day as I ended it, it’s become a not quite so good day in retrospect.
Now, I’m not looking for sympathy or rebuke. I know my thinking this morning isn’t rational or reasonable. And I suspect yours isn’t rational or reasonable either. You might be praising yourself for having done what the next person would think is next to nothing, or for having done something you shouldn’t have. You could be virtually flogging yourself for what you didn’t do… the point is … that’s not the point.
The point is that I am God’s handiwork. I’m His craft project, and He’s a master craftsman. He created me in Christ to do good works, and He set up those works. That brings me back to an earlier issue. If God made sure that I didn’t miss my turns and exits on my road of life, and as I look back, they have been clear when I reached them; if He didn’t let me miss turns and exits before, what makes me think He’s going to let me miss doing the good works He’s designed for me to do?
Part of the problem is that I want big, important tasks that I can point to and say, “Here comes a task!” More often than not, I suspect I do the tasks He’s given me without even realizing it was one of His tasks for me. As the righteous asked in Jesus’s story in Matthew 25, I suspect that sometimes we’re so busy going through our lives, doing what we do without really thinking about it that we don’t realize when we’ve done one of His tasks. And I think that’s a good thing. One can’t brag about doing a good thing one doesn’t remember doing or that one believes is no big deal.
So now I begin another day with a list with at least fifteen items on it, some of which I’m dreading. So let me pray for us both….
Lord, this is the day that You have made. There are good works You’ve included in it that may, or may not be on my to-do list. I am Your craftsmanship, and You have tasks You made me to do. Thank You for them. Thank You that You will accomplish those tasks through me. Thank You for all the same for the person reading this. Even if we don’t realize what task You are using us to accomplish, I pray that the task will be accomplished for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This morning, I look back and think, “But I didn’t …” and then I list things that have been on my to-do list for too long and the third blog post requires some information that I haven’t been able to find, and – unless I find another way – boldly takes writers where they may never have gone before. And even if I have the right to try to help science fiction and fantasy writers make their worlds work, there’s part of me that wonders if it’s not just a waste of my time. So while yesterday was a good day as I ended it, it’s become a not quite so good day in retrospect.
Now, I’m not looking for sympathy or rebuke. I know my thinking this morning isn’t rational or reasonable. And I suspect yours isn’t rational or reasonable either. You might be praising yourself for having done what the next person would think is next to nothing, or for having done something you shouldn’t have. You could be virtually flogging yourself for what you didn’t do… the point is … that’s not the point.
The point is that I am God’s handiwork. I’m His craft project, and He’s a master craftsman. He created me in Christ to do good works, and He set up those works. That brings me back to an earlier issue. If God made sure that I didn’t miss my turns and exits on my road of life, and as I look back, they have been clear when I reached them; if He didn’t let me miss turns and exits before, what makes me think He’s going to let me miss doing the good works He’s designed for me to do?
Part of the problem is that I want big, important tasks that I can point to and say, “Here comes a task!” More often than not, I suspect I do the tasks He’s given me without even realizing it was one of His tasks for me. As the righteous asked in Jesus’s story in Matthew 25, I suspect that sometimes we’re so busy going through our lives, doing what we do without really thinking about it that we don’t realize when we’ve done one of His tasks. And I think that’s a good thing. One can’t brag about doing a good thing one doesn’t remember doing or that one believes is no big deal.
So now I begin another day with a list with at least fifteen items on it, some of which I’m dreading. So let me pray for us both….
Lord, this is the day that You have made. There are good works You’ve included in it that may, or may not be on my to-do list. I am Your craftsmanship, and You have tasks You made me to do. Thank You for them. Thank You that You will accomplish those tasks through me. Thank You for all the same for the person reading this. Even if we don’t realize what task You are using us to accomplish, I pray that the task will be accomplished for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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