The Work of His Hand~

So many times, we look at our epic fail and all we see is failure.

We see what didn't go right,

what didn't happen,

what didn't come close to working,

and the us who didn’t come close to succeeding, AGAIN.

As far as the eye can see, all we can see is our F-A-I-L-U-R-E and our identify all rolled up in one messy mistake, one fabulous flop, one despicable disaster.

And yet,

hidden among the ruins,

buried in the debris,

left behind in the ashes is something worth looking for -

something of irreplaceable value,

something we won't find any place else,

something we can only discover in the face of failure.

And, that is this:

we are not defined by the work of our hands; we are defined by the work of His hands.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;  

male and female he created them.   

~Genesis 1:27 (NIV)

Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things.

 God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.

~ Ephesians 2:10 (CEB)

So,

the cake fell,

the fort blew over with the first breeze,

the manuscript was rejected,

the baby bit the babysitter,

the foolproof plan back fired.

It happens.  But, what shouldn’t happen after it happens, is what usually happens next.

We head to the bathroom, and with tears in our eyes, 

we look in the mirror and see one thing and one thing only:

F-A-I-L-U-R-E.   

We point our finger at the reflection staring back and speak words that wound our heart, reaching down to the deepest place of our being.  We bruise and batter our own spirit. We take our defeat and allow it to defeat us.

We are so convinced the who of who we are is somehow wrapped up in the do of what we do, and yet nothing could be further from the truth.  We aren’t human doings, we are human beings - beings who live and move and have our very being in God.

Who we are is a precious creation sculpted by God’s own hand, designed in God’s own image.

Who we are is a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Who we are is who we are in and through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

In the agony of defeat, our gracious Heavenly Father longs for us to see His identify shining through. In the middle of our mistake, God longs for us to see ourselves as He sees us. In the moments that make us feel most unlovable, God desires for us to experience His love that knows no end.

So, we failed.

It happens.  And, what should happen after it happens, is grace.

We should head straight to the throne room of Heaven, and with tears in our eyes, 

we should see one thing and one thing only: 

G-R-A-C-E.   

As we point our eyes heavenward and see our  reflection hidden in that of our Heavenly Father, we should hear His words speaking healing to our heart, reaching down to the deepest place of our being. 

“You are mine. 

I created you and I love you.   

I always have. 

I always will.

You are precious in my sight.”

This is the treasure waiting for us in the rubble of failure.

We are not defined by the work of our hands; we are defined by the work of His hands.

Would you like Heartprints of God delivered to your email inbox each day?
Simply enter your email address here:


Delivered by FeedBurner