Our Master Artist

One of God’s endless acts of showing us His Love is His work as Our Creator. “In the beginning…” God is the artist. He is the sculptor of the greatest masterpiece of all time.

The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. ~Genesis 1:2

Before the Spirit of God swept over the earth and created light and darkness, space between the waters the sky, trees, seed-bearing fruit, the moon, sun, and stars, fish, birds, small animals, wildlife, and livestock----it was just a formless mass. Mass by one definition is a lump; a body of matter that forms a whole but has no definable shape.

Do you ever feel as if you’re just taking up space in your classroom? As you walk around the mall, does no one seem to notice this mass of a person strolling by? As a person, do you feel as if you have no definable shape or purpose to your life?

Viewing ourselves as nothing more than a formless mass, cloaked in darkness is allowing sin to control our lives. Believing that you were made without purpose is not taking hold of the promises that God provides, instead you are holding onto the whispers of Satan. If we truly believe that we are an empty mass it will result in a multitude of negative effects on all aspects of our lives.

I’ve been caught in these fears myself in the past. Not remembering that our Sovereign Lord molded me with His own loving hand darkness has seeped into all areas of my life. I find that as I question God’s creation in my life quiet times become less intimate and more mechanical with God, praying becomes more sparse as I spend more time contemplating if I’m even worthy of God hearing my voice, and my relationship with other people suffer as I struggle with wondering if they value me. I fall back into the world’s thinking that beauty is solely dependent on outer beauty, and I think that true love can only be found here on earth.

This is NOT the way that God created us to live!

In fact living this way is defaming to God. Losing focus of our Creator puts more focus on the creation, which will never lead to joy and contentment.

As the first paragraph in Genesis continues it recognizes the presence of the Spirit of God. Acknowledging God in our life will alleviate the weight, guilt, and shame that we may feel.

A few promises that I focus on when I fall into this thinking,

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.

~Romans 8:15

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

~Ephesians 2:10

Lord, You have made so many things! How wise you were when you made all of them! The earth is full of Your creatures.

~ Psalm 104:24

Recognizing we are Masterpieces, created by God stands as a truth that we are Loved.

These last few weeks at the National FFA Convention I got to spend time with people who recognize their Creator’s work in their life and are fervently seeking Him. One night as we stood hand-in-hand praying over God’s work in our life, there were prayers that each one of us would recognize His work, we would see ourselves as He views us, we would know His Love, and that nothing would hinder our relationship with Him.

Surrounding myself with these people was a reminder that God creates each person after Himself, in His perfection. Every person was beautifully different, but each had the capacity to radiate their Creator’s beauty.

There was no need to compare, no need to question….just a need to know we were loved by our Master Artist.

Know You’re Loved

 

If I could do just one thing to change the world….it would be to help every single person know they are Loved.

I spend time frequently trying to figure out how I can make this dream/mission/vision a reality. The BEST part of my schedule is the one-on-one conversations that I  get to share with people. Whether we meet in the library or the union, at somebody’s house to study, or at one of Manhattan’s fine coffee shops.  lasdjfalsdkfjalsdkf    (Radina’s is a favorite!)

                  While hiding away in Radina’s, with a cup of coffee and a great friend, it’s amazing how quickly a conversation can reveal the joys and trials we face in life. Getting to share in these troubles we generally face in life, stands as a constant reminder of how miniscule and small they really are.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

  alkdjfal;kdsjflkjadflk                   ~2 Corinthians 4:7

As each of these small investments in another person’s life comes to a close, I find walking to the parking lot that my prayer is the same for each girl that I meet with.

1.) They can know God’s Love even deeper than before

2.) They can see themselves as the beautiful creation they are

 

If we miss the basic fact that we’re each made perfect in God’s own image, we will struggle in chasing the cross in all other aspects.

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female he created them.                                               ~Genesis 1:27

Not kidding, almost every time… it’s the same. Every single woman, struggles with being content and with being reminded that they were beautifully fashioned by the God of this universe.

The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. llkasdfl;kajdsflkajdflajdfladdfljadldfjas~Genesis 2:22

To an extent, it’s comforting to know that I’m not the only who struggles with being reminded of my Creator, but on the other hand with so many others struggling… when are we going to change? Who is going to go against all that we’ve been told in this society and believe that we were made perfect?

When we, ladies, don’t remember this fact of our Creator, we lose sight of who we were made by and what we were made for. We easily forget that we are loved by the Holy God of this universe.

How do we reverse a discontentment that takes a strong enough grip on our life that it affects everything else?

Obviously, not knowing how this works out in a man’s life, I can only speak for most women that discontentment eventually reveals itself in all other things that we do. Our interactions with people and our performance in school or work is more difficult. We find we struggle in the continuum of maturity that comes in a personal relationship with Christ.

On this blog, since this aspect of contentment is so important and evident in many people’s lives, I’d like to take some time and focus on some of God’s promises. In applying these promises to our lives, how can we not only view ourselves differently but how we can confirm these promises is our lives.

A person will radiate God’s beauty the most when they know they are LOVED!