Masterful, isn't it? Brilliant, isn't it? Glorious, isn't it?
Years ago my wife decided that she liked impressionist paintings and so we bought this one by Claude Monet entitled, Palazzo Contarini. Of course, ours is a print and not an original but we treat it as though it were the real thing.
But what if it was? And what if we found it at a garage sale because someone didn't care about it and mistreated it?
Let's imagine for a moment that you happened to come across a masterful piece of artwork like the Monet above that had been mucked up by years of neglect and mistreatment. It was covered in grime and dirt and dust but YOU knew it's true value and worth.
How would you treat it? Would you determine that it was worthless and garbage like it had been treated? Would you rescue it from it's demise and current messy state to see it restored to it's intended beauty and brilliance?
Let's imagine for a moment that everyone that we meet was created by God, handcrafted by Him, with intent and purpose; that no one alive is an accident. As if we were intricately knit together by God in our mother's wombs. Is that a stretch for our theology? Not really.
"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph 2:10, NIV
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Eph 2:10, NLT
"For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb." Ps 139:13, NIV
I would like to suggest that all too often in church world we focus on the mess and muck and mire of people's lives and don't see them as Jesus sees them. I'm pretty sure that when Jesus chose to die for me and you and them that He saw His Father's handiwork and masterpiece within us and who we were intended to be and chose not to focus on the crud of our sin and rebellion.
Hear me in this: yes, Jesus knew that He was dying for a bunch of grime covered masterpieces who chose their destiny apart from God... but yet Jesus saw past that toward the brilliance that we were meant to represent, that is, the image of God. We bear His image and are a dwelling place for His glory.
Rant: I'm so sick of the extremes of this issue!
One bent tends to tell everyone that they're just a bunch of worthless sinners and screw ups who can do no good and deserve nothing but death. Their tone is often self-deprecating and condemning. They're modern day pharisees and, yeah, I used to be one.
I'm also sick of the other extreme. The other bent that tells everyone that as long as we just love one another then eventually they'll just come to God on their own terms in their own timing. I mean, we really don't need to talk about rebellion and sin... that's so, uncomfortable. They seem to advocate a hippy-type of faith that just wants everyone to get along. I get that. I like to feel comfortable and safe, but Jesus isn't safe; good, but not safe.
My opinion-- They both suck.
Yes, we're a bunch of rebels. And, yes, we're a bunch of glory bearers. Yes, we're a fallen humanity with dark intent. And, yes, we're crafted with intricate intent to be more powerful than we can ever imagine. It's not either/or... it's both/and.
Let's stop focusing on and polarizing on the crap that messes up our lives and look deeper to see what Jesus saw when He chose the cross for our neighbors, relatives, co-workers, friends, acquaintances, etc.
Yes, let's get real and honest about our Shadow but let's also call forth the Brilliance. While we were enemies of God in our hearts, Jesus saw the treasure of who you are, who I am, when He chose to die for us-- a death we deserved. God never gave up on us and instead became one of us to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. Then, He traded His glory for our defiance.
That's Good News! Nay, that's awesome news!!!
And here's the kicker, your playing small doesn't do this world any good. You are powerful and meant to steward the glory of God within you.
"You probably can't imagine there being a glory in your life, let alone one that the Enemy fears. But remember -- things are not what they seem. We are not what we seem. The deeper reason we fear our own glory is that once we let others see it, they will have seen the truest us, and that is nakedness indeed. We can repent of our sin. We can work on our ‘issues.’ But there is nothing to be ‘done’ about our glory. It's so naked. It's just there -- the truest us. It is an awkward thing to shimmer when everyone else around you is not, to walk in your glory with an unveiled face when everyone else is veiling his.” Waking the Dead, John Eldredge.