Work of Art

by Brandy Webb

Here lately, I have been learning a lot of new skills. I am realizing that the only one who limits me is myself, and I have found that I am more capable of learning things than I ever imagined. It seems that the more I step out of my comfort zone, the more God helps me to accomplish. I imagine we all are more capable of more than we think because we serve a God that can give us the grace we need to succeed. He can do all things, even impossible things. We can’t do all things, but with Him we can. I think He enjoys stretching us, so that we realize what all He can do through us if we let Him.

I am being stretched all across different new skills, and one I really am enjoying learning is carpentry. Now, let me first inform you, I am not very good at carpentry at all. My grandfather was an awesome carpenter. He could create something out of scraps. I am nowhere near his skills, and I don’t know if I ever will be. Yet, I am learning how to build things like floating shelves, desks, and raised beds. This is huge because I am very accident prone, and thankfully I have not damaged myself or anyone else in this learning process. I have always had a fear with power tools and saws, but I have now overcome most of those fears. Patience, taking my time, and respect for tools are how I work now.

You are probably thinking, okay, so what does this have to do with being a Christian since this is supposed to be a Christian blog? Well please be patient with me, I do plan to get there. First let me tell you that the wood I am using is from our old pool deck. My late step-dad built the pool deck many years ago, and when we took it down, I wanted to preserve as much of the wood as possible. The wood has a lot of memories in it, and it is one of the last things I have from him. This is what started my whole, “I’m going to learn a new skill.” Thankfully, my husband is very skilled in many things, so he has been a very good and patient teacher.

This week I finished some floating shelves for my daughter’s room after I watched my husband build some for another area in our house. I realized that we were taking what to some would be worthless lumber and creating something beautiful with it. We were taking lumber that was used for one purpose and turning it into something else. We were, to me, creating works of art. Isn’t that what God does to us?

He takes a sinner and turns that sinner into His child, a person that once was lost but now is found, someone that was headed down the road to death, into someone that is now headed down the road to eternal life because of Christ’s sacrifice. He basically takes a lump of coal and turns it into a diamond.

The world may look at us and not be very impressed. However, God looks at us and sees something that can be beautiful. We are God’s children. He is the potter, and we are but clay; “we are all the work of [His] hands” (Isaiah 64:8). He is molding us into His glory. We may have been dirty and broken before God called us to something bigger than ourselves. He took us and turned us into His temple for His Spirit to dwell (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). We are God’s works of art. How awesome is that?