You are a Masterpiece

Do you feel like one?  I don't know about you, but some days I feel much more masterpiece-ish than others.  Usually it's a good hair day, I'm feeling patient, the house is clean, the kids are diligent and cooperative, dinner is ready on time, and everyone sleeps soundly all night.  I give myself a little mental pat on the back and congratulate myself for a job well-done.  Looking at that list of requirements, however, it shouldn't surprise me when a not so masterpiece-ish day crashes in on me a few days later.

For several months, I've been pondering the idea of what God thinks of me.   I'm discovering my perspective is a little skewed.  In some odd way, I think I require more of myself (which is pride) than God does, in that He doesn't beat me up when I fail.  He knows it will happen, offers forgiveness and a fresh start, and moves on.  Meanwhile, I'm still wallowing in frustration and self-loathing, annoyed that I made the same mistake again.  Somehow I transfer that disgust to God.  If I feel impatient with myself, He must even more so.  Either I overlook the grace He is freely offering because I am busy condemning myself, or I accept the grace feeling so guilty that I miss the joy that should accompany the grace-gift.

In the first two chapters of Ephesians, Paul points out just how twisted my thinking is.  Look at how God really feels about us:

We are:

• blessed with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly realms (1:3 NLT)
• loved before the creation of the world (1:4)
• chosen (in Christ) to be holy (1:4)
• adopted into His family.  (1:5).  He enacted a plan, Jesus Christ, to be able to do this, and even more it gave him GREAT PLEASURE to do so.  Paul says that "great pleasure".  How cool is that!
• purchased by the blood of His dearly loved Son (1:7)
• forgiven (1:7)
• showered with His kindness, wisdom, and understanding (1:8)
• heirs to an inheritance (1:11)
• given a purpose (to praise Him) (1:12)
• saved (1:13)
• identified as His own (1:13)
• recipients of His great mercy and life through Christ (2:4)
• loved so very much (2:4)
• recipients of His special favor (2:5)
• raised from the dead with Christ (2:6)
• seated with Him in the heavenly realm (2:6)
• one with Christ Jesus (2:6)
• examples of His favor and kindness (2:7)

a Masterpiece 

(2:10)