God with us - Week 5: Ephesians 2:10
I settled myself down on the small plastic stool, notepad at the ready with the gallery tour guide sat next to me. If I was going to hold the interest of a group of Year 2 children, then I would need to know something about the paintings we were coming to see. Keen to avoid parents' complaints, I'd already worked out which sections of the gallery I needed to sidestep and hoped the tour guide would help me choose specific images to focus on.
Whose idea was it to bring a class of Year 2 kids to the Tate Modern in the centre of London? Yep, it was mine!
We sat in front of a giant frame, reaching to the top of the gallery wall, holding a picture I'd only ever seen in the local Athena (if you know, you know!) I hoped that the guide would have something for me to share with the children because if not, they'd either walk straight past or let me know in no uncertain terms that they could do a better job. Then the guide, with her obvious love of art, started to deconstruct every part of the artist's creation. She explained how the artist individually painted each piece of this carefully assembled collage. From his wheelchair, the artist gave instructions to his assistant regarding the exact placement of each piece. If you looked closely, you could see the pin marks where adjustments were made to find the perfect position to place each colour. What initially seemed to be a "nice enough" picture became so much more.
When the day of the school trip arrived, the children gathered around Matisses', 'The Snail.' They hung on my every word as I shared the story behind the masterpiece. I held their attention because I had taken time to explore the creator's intention.
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.
Ephesians 2:10
We might not feel like it at times, but each one of us is God's masterpiece, created with a colour palette unique to us. He formed our personality, gifts, talents, even our quirks, and He loves His creation. For those who get to know us, to spend time loving us as God's creation, they may just see a glimpse of the pin marks where adjustments have been made. If we are all God's masterpiece, then we walk amidst His gallery every single day. Pictures God has created may seem insignificant to us; we may not even notice them, but if we look a little closer, we will see the beauty of His creation in those we meet.
We were created for a purpose, to live out the beauty of God's creation in our everyday lives. As we enter a new week, rest in the assurance that God created you on purpose. He has chosen the perfect place to display you in His gallery to gather people around and discover more about Him. Step confidently into this week, knowing God created you, knowing you are perfectly placed, and knowing He is with you.
Kay Moorby
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