Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We had this as our Verse for the Year not long ago, but I still can’t resist writing on it. So many people seem to feel purposeless in life, but this takes care of that completely. Once we accept that we are created beings and not mere chance, all sorts of things fall into place. Creativity is one of the ways in which we are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) We create things for all sorts of reasons, and occasionally by accident, but I don’t think God has accidents! I do think He has a sense of whimsy and humor. After all, why else would He create birds like the toucan or animals like the panda? For that matter, I’ve long maintained that I myself am proof positive that He has a sense of humor, or He never would have created someone like me! The point is, He really does have a purpose in everything He does, so we, His creatures, do well to seek out that purpose and strive to fulfill it. We aren’t to be paranoid or obsessive about it, but there is a deep comfort to knowing you aren’t an accident (whatever your parents might have thought). The problem is, the devil does all he can to corrupt God’s plans for each of us. The whole question of sovereignty and free will is a very deep one I won’t go into here, but for example, I don’t think God created Adolf Hitler to commit genocide, or all the other horrendous things he did. We can’t answer that question, but we can seek God for His purposes in our life, and rejoice to see them fulfilled. Those purposes include such simple things as being kind, encouraging, lending a hand, and so forth. They probably also include much bigger things, but we often don’t recognize what we have done that was big until much later. The whole point is that we aren’t pointless. We have purpose, and that purpose is good.

This is an issue I have seen in many people around me, but I don’t think I’ve ever really been troubled by it myself. I was raised by parents who loved me, loved each other, and above all loved God, and I benefited greatly from that. That didn’t keep me from trying to commit suicide while I was in college, so I certainly don’t have any high horse from which to look down on others, but I have always felt that I had something to do. Retiring from school teaching a year ago has definitely changed my schedule, but it hasn’t made me a whole lot less busy! It is always a special blessing to me to realize I have been God’s instrument in some way, and thankfully, those times aren’t rare. As I mentioned, I am convinced God was displaying His sense of humor when He created me, but He does use me for serious things as well. I’m grateful for however He uses me! As a pastor, I seek to help others recognize God’s purposes for them, so that they too may delight in their Creator, who delights in them.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for bringing me through the “human dock” physical yesterday. The gastroscope was no fun at all, but I was surprised and grateful that my esophageal stenosis seems to have largely disappeared. I didn’t know that happened! Thank You that my other results showed very few issues either. May I be a good steward of this body so that I will indeed be able to fulfill all our Your purposes for me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!