An Unfinished Masterpiece

"Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God" (Rev 3:2 NIV) An on-line friend paraphrased this scripture: You are a masterpiece waiting to be finished. Webster's defines masterpiece as: a work done with extraordinary skill.

At the end of time, when our lives are about to end, we will no doubt look back and remember all the things we did and didn't do, that we "should" or "shouldn't" have done. In movies, when a person passes away they show their lives flashing before their eyes. If your life were to flash before your eyes this morning, what would you see?

Certainly we all have regrets--some profound. There are bound to be many happy memories as well (if we are fortunate). I take this scripture to be an admonition on how to live our lives in the time we have remaining.  We waste time and energy if we dwell on our grief, our losses, our regrets. Rather, we should grow from those experiences--and remember that God brought us through them. We are strenghtened and our resiliency and faith are increased once we move from the past to looking toward tomorrow.

My friend reminds us that we are created in God's image and likeness - e.g., masterpieces. God went to a lot effort to create us and he doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity to spend eternity with us! As this is the case, we really have no choice but to relish the time we have, to make the most of the days, the people, the situations that come into our lives.  God loves us so very much and He even sends a warning: Wake up! He beseeches us, to wake up from the slumber of our mere humanity and begin living into the masterpieces He created us to be.

"[The Day Is Near] And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11 NIV).

Blessings on your journey,  
Mary