Becoming Roadside Art

The images from my last blog have been working their way down to another level in my soul. The beautifully cared for "lobsta" traps, buoys and ropes are a lovely symbol for pondering our creativity with the everyday stuff of life. But, at another level, these images remind me that, to God, we, too, are "a medium for creation..." We are the stuff of His roadside art.

The first 10 verses of Ephesians 2 are such an encouragement. In the verse 1, the Apostle begins by reminding us that we were once "dead in our trespasses." We were traps unfit for use, buoys no longer buoyant, ropes too frayed to be trusted. Nine verses (and an incarnation/redemption crowned by Christ's ascension) later, we are his workmanship, literally, his poetry--his art along life's road. For while there is a definite starting point to our redemption, Christ's re-creative care for those he has made alive is ongoing.

So let me imagine Jesus on Monhegan Island at the end of "lobsta" season. He walks through our bent traps, our water-soaked buoys, the ropes about to break, and carefully picks up each of us. "Here, Father. I recognize this one. She belongs to me. He is mine." And by a grace and a faith not of our own making, our re-creative workman again reclaims his materials for creation. He restores and renews us, preparing us for another season where, as his patiently crafted workmanship, he prepares us to be beautiful and create beauty with the materials he then sets in our hands.

Lord Jesus, may we walk alongside the road receiving the grace and faith to be the art remade in you according to the creative design of your Father. Then, and only then, will we be enabled to make beauty of the well-worn stuff of our lives. Grant us your Spirit's compassionate eye, your Father's gracious heart, and your own patient hands.