We Are God’s Creation!

I remember watching a little clip of a woman meeting her pompous husband at work. While they are there, the wife bumps into the janitor and they get to talking and catching up on old times. When the husband comes by, she introduces the janitor and mentions that they used to date years ago. The husband looks down on the janitor, and after the couple left, the husband started mocking the man. He says with disbelief to his wife, “If you had married him, you would now be a janitor's wife. Aren’t you glad you married me?” To that she answered, “When we were dating, you were struggling with a lot of ideas. I pushed you to make them a reality. If I had married the janitor, maybe he would be where you are today!” I don’t think that was what the husband was hoping or expecting to hear. Talk about humbling. We have a part to play in who we are, but the input and interaction with family, friends, workers, teachers, church, etc. have a way of shaping us to be more than we likely would have been on our own. Ultimately, we are God’s creation. I like a quote from CS Lewis that stated, “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” There is so much truth to that. As a believer, I know that there is nothing I can do that will entice God to love me, and yet God refers to believers as holy, saints, and righteous. Through faith, God not only transforms who we are, but through what He did on the cross, the Father sees us as “good”, even when we make mistakes. A parent will not cease to love a child when he/she makes mistakes, but a good parent will also not be satisfied letting the child wallow in sin. We cannot make a child good, but we can train them in the way they should go. God on the other hand, trains us in His word, fills us with the Holy Spirit, and transforms us as a child of God. Our desire is to hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant”, but I can only be “faithful” if the Holy Spirit is leading me. What part do I play. Surrender... submission.... shapeable. As God works in our hearts, He gives us the desire and gifts to accomplish His call. I make myself available in prayer, in reading His word, and in faithful obedience. Father, we come before You unfinished and weak. Through Your love, establish Your goodness in us. Amen