Masterpiece

     I came across a quote this week and it really spoke to me: You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.

     Let's back up a week or two when I was elbow deep in editing my book. It is really hard (and a blow to one's pride) to have to edit your manuscript. It's hard to listen to someone else give you advice on how you can make improvements. My book is my baby. Surely it's perfect, right? Wrong. Sorry, so wrong.

     It didn't take long for me to see that my baby needed help. When I started really getting in there and changing things, I began to see how much better my book was for it. 

     In a similar manner, our life occasionally needs a little editing. Sometimes we need to make a change. We need to snip something out or flip something around. Sometimes we need to add something. There are even times when we need to take a big chunk out and just pitch it aside. And man does that hurt! But it's necessary. 

     These life edits can come from our own need for change. We see a problem and we make a choice to do something about it. Maybe a friend, family member, or coworker points out an issue and we tackle it because they helped us see things from a different perspective.

     Once in a while, life edits come because we won't change on our own and the Lord has to swoop in there and do His work. We are His masterpiece, His work of art. But we are also imperfect and in need of fixing because we make mistakes, and because we live in a fallen world. We are all works in progress. That's why we need to take every part of this masterpiece called life and give it to the Father. He's the Author of Life. He does the best edits.

     Whether you feel like your life is going really well right now, or whether you feel like a mess, know that you are a beautiful work of art. Every stroke of the Master's pen is tweaking your story. Be assured that He will make a work that is truly beautiful.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

      

Love,

J💙