Built-in Beauty

Dear Friends,

Reading in Chronicles, I am reminded what the temple actually was.  It was a majestic structure carefully crafted from materials of this world that God’s presence would inhabit in order for Him to dwell among the people, demonstrate mercy through their sacrifices, and signal to all the nations the glory of His character.

So also, God dwells in us who believe in Him.  Our own bodies are crafted of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and other elements of this world, carefully arranged to serve all kinds of functions for us to live and to interact with others.  The arrangement also serves as a dwelling place for our Creator, whose image we bear.  This dwelling is not just functional, it is intricately beautiful.  In the temple, “there were two hundred pomegranates in two rows all around” and also “carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees… with wreaths all around” (1 Kings 7).  Do these things sound useful?  Functional?  Not at all.  They were included simply for beauty.

Scientists are always searching to understand the function of each tiny component of life – and the components of interest get smaller and smaller as the years go by.  Interestingly, 98% of the human genome is “non-coding.”  It doesn’t build stuff.  We are learning that these pieces do have some functions.  But I have a theory!  I would not be surprised if God has built in long stretches of DNA just for beauty – no function!  Evolution-focused people will scoff at this, “Natural selection will not allow it!  Useless things are not preserved.”  But I would say God is quite capable of preserving things He finds important (including beauty) whether we agree or not.

Sincerely,

Katie

Masterpiece

Dear Friends,

I memorized Ephesians 2:10 in the NIV:  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

But yesterday, it was brought to my attention that I don’t fully appreciate the word “workmanship.”  I know it means we are a product of God’s work.  I always imagined it as woodwork for some reason.  I kind of pictured a chair or table that God made, something plain and functional.  And the chair or table represented me.  I understood that God had made me for a specific purpose, but I realize now I was missing something.

I love the NLT translation:  “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.”

Masterpiece.  Somehow, my plain, functional table falls short here.  Masterpieces are not plain.  I am not an IKEA table, mass-produced with assembly required.  And neither are you.  We (together) are God’s masterpiece, carefully crafted and beautiful.  The Greek word Paul wrote is “poieme,” the word our English word “poem” comes from.  We are not all English minors here, but the point is that poetry is carefully crafted.  If you’ve ever tried to write a song, you know it takes forever.  Each word is so significant and thoughtfully chosen.

I need to erase the image of myself as an IKEA table.  God has done something greater and more beautiful, something bigger than just me.  Maybe it is more like I am a single verse in a 10,000-page poem or a specific, perfectly blended color used in a gigantic painting.

Sincerely,

Katie