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

I love the picture-image of us being God’s “handiwork”. It reminds me of handmade quilts. “Handiwork” communicates intimacy, originality, and care, rebelling against the assembly line culture which is so familiar to us. Certainly, this sense of “handiwork” is true of each of us. We were individually thought of, creatively crafted and intentionally placed in our own unique context.

But, this verse isn’t just talking about being created in our mother’s womb. Rather, it goes further to talk about us being “created in Christ Jesus”. This phrase frankly perplexed me until I considered the greater context.  “In Christ Jesus” and “with Christ” are used five times in the first ten verses of this chapter. When we read our verse in the context of those ten verses, we see the real meaning of being “created in Christ Jesus”. This small portion of scripture is really a mini-message of God’s rescue plan for us “in Christ Jesus”. Outside of Christ, we are lost and lifeless. But, in Christ, we are rescued, resuscitated, and repurposed. The difference is so dramatic that Christians are called new creations. This is the handiwork of God: he gives us a lovingly intimate and complete internal makeover by the work of Jesus on the cross in our lives every day. We’re not the same as before. We are completely changed and newly equipped to live with God’s help and for his purposes.

Do you see yourself as “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus”?

How would this consistent mindset change your self-image?