Blinded by Love

I've been walking with Jesus through the gospels for a few days. As we were leaving Jericho, we were followed by a large crowd and there were a couple of blind guys screaming "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" Can't you just hear the crowd "shooshing" them? Everyone wants a "piece" of Jesus and the blind duo were cramping their style. Surely Jesus wouldn't want to waste His time. But stand with me next to Him and hear what He yells back: "What do you want Me to do for you?" I can see Him moving through the crowd as He calls to them, coming closer and closer to them. Maybe they can't see Him standing in front of them - makes me grin to think they may have continued to yell... "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." [Did the Son of God fall back a bit and laugh?]Can you see Jesus' face? All they want is to see. Scripture says "moved with compassion, Jesus touched..." His own compassion moves His hand. Bet that crowd got a little quiet. At the sight of His face, bet those boys started smilin', yellin', and leapin' and then followin'.

"What do you want Me to do for you?" Can you hear it? That sweet voice of your God asking of you such a sweet question. My answer: More of You. I just want to know Him and love Him more. I think I may have yelled that need to Him on several occasions when I was frustrated with my walk and felt like I might be failing Him. Blind to what is ultimately the truth: Jesus would never withhold Himself or His love from me. Of course He wants me to know Him more, to love Him more. Moved with compassion even in those intense moments with Him, His hand reaches out to unblind the eyes of my heart. I can know Him more now. I can love Him more now. I need only open my unblinded eyes and see His face and follow.


Copyright 2008 Sharon Denise Dorminy

My Dads...

I would wager my dad is the only one on his block with a carpeted garage. Genius has its idiosyncrasies. Filled with woodworking tools and saws, lumber and "kindling", the sweet aroma of sawdust hangs in the air often accompanied by a visiting sneeze. My dad is a master craftsman, a man of excellence in his field: carpentry. I've witnessed his planning method. Coffee cup in hand, he stares in the direction of the work, the "nothing into something" mind machinations in gear, seeing every step before it is begun. With purpose in mind, he meticulously plans every facet of his creation determining time, material, and cost.
Masterpieces aren't produced by happenstance. Inventions may begin by a "banana peel" moment, but masterpieces are premeditated. As awed as I am by my dad's craftsmanship, I am more awed by Almighty Father, the Master Craftsman. Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The greek word for 'workmanship' is poiema, meaning "that which is made." Take a glance at the word and we see the word 'poem'. A 'poietes' is a worker, performer, doer or poet. God is the poet; we are the poems. God is the worker; we are His workmanship. God is the Master Craftsman, and we are His masterpieces. Consider with me the awesome implications of such a truth!

First, God has a divine design and purpose for each one of us. I love the words penned by Paul: "But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles..." (Galatians 1:15-16a). I was 26 years old when I began to follow Jesus Christ. Many times in the last 18 years, I've had a case of the "if onlys". If only I hadn't... if only I could go back... if only He would have saved me sooner. God has since convinced me that He was "pleased to reveal His Son in me" on November 8, 1988. From before the foundation of the world, God has ordained the spiritual birthday of each of His children. He was not too late in calling us and it is not too late for Him to accomplish His purpose in us. For those of us that are repeatedly stunned that God would choose us at all, Scripture assures that we are no less chosen than Paul. "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight." (Ephesians 1:4) Handpicked by God to be His children, each of us is a peculiar design for a unique plan for just this hour.

God has also chosen the material for each one of His masterpieces. My dad doesn't begin a job until he has all of the materials that he needs. He inspects each piece of lumber for defects. Is this piece bowed, cupped, twisted, crooked? No, this one is straight. Is there any rot? Is it too green? Are there any knots or cracks? No, this one is perfect. And so it goes. But God has an unusual criterion for the raw materials of His workmanship. Are you defective? Are your ways bowed and twisted and crooked? Yes. Do you have the decay of sin within? Yes. Do you have some stubborn knots and broken places in your heart? Yes. Are you green - new, but willing to bend? Yes. You are perfect material! "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5) God is the Master of taking the old yuck and creating something entirely new. He does not select us because of our goodness. He does not choose us because He needs us. He chooses us because He wants us. Who can comprehend such love?

God has counted the cost of His masterpieces. He paid the highest price for what would seem to us to be the worst material! "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6) Because of His great love for us, we are told "in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and underststanding." (Ephesians 1:7-8) God, seeing the depth of our sin and impotence, weighed the cost of our redemption. Thankfully God has a more merciful scale than many of us. Had the price been one of my sons weighed against the sins of mankind, I wouldn't have been so benevolent. God didn't wear holy blinders either. He knew He would get what He paid for. God paid an unfathomable price to purchase you and me - bought from the "as is" shelf at a cost beyond our worth. In those times we believe we have no worth, God would beg to differ.

God chooses just the right tools to produce His workmanship. Shoe heels are not made to hammer nails. (Yes, I know this from experience.) Using the wrong tool for a job can have unpleasant results. More energy is exerted, time and materials are wasted and we can end up with an impaled broken shoe. God's tools are efficient, effective, and eternal. He uses the most effective circumstance or person at the most efficient time to achieve His eternal result. Granted, it doesn't always seem that way from our temporal perspective. Our tendency is to major on the "whys". Why did this happen to me? Why now? Why this way? Why not my way? We attempt to take away the hammer from God in hopes that we can show Him a better method of building. Be assured, not one blow of His hammer is wasted. From the normal frustrations of our day-to-day to the immense tragedies that we face, God is intimately involved in our transformation. We won't spend one moment longer under the sander than needed, but He loves us too much to leave us chained to our own ways. We can know that everything in our lives, both good and bad, is purposeful in His hands.

Every masterpiece God creates has a purpose. Look again at Ephesians 2:10. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." My father built a cradle for my first child. All three of my children had their first dreams in it. My dad is never more pleased with his work than when he sees it being used. It served its purpose and has a special place in our home. (Grace, our family dog, now climbs in it for her evening nap!) With every touch of the Master's hand, with every surrendered heart in His loving hold, we are formed into a vessel for His use. "If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." (2 Timothy 2:21) Father is pleased when we walk in the works He purposed for us. To be all that He created us to be is the ultimate compliment to our Master. As we yield ourselves to Him, operating in the gifts that He has perfectly placed within us, serving others in the love He has placed in our hearts, Father can say, "This is My beloved in whom I am well-pleased." He delights in our willingness to be useful to Him, yielded and obedient masterpieces of honor.

And finally, God always finishes what He starts. "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) With a certainty, God will see to it that the purpose He has marked out for each of us is completed. He is not a divine antique dealer. He doesn't sentence His masterpieces to a dusty shelf. They are precious, valuable, irreplaceable possessions that never outlive their use. To be a completed work doesn't mean we're "done"; it means that we are fulfilling the purpose for which we were designed. Like my skillfully crafted cradle, completion means leaving a legacy of loving service. We are proof of His divine handiwork. My heart leaps to see the joy in my dad's face (although somewhat understated - try to imagine a John Wayne kind of joy and you get the picture) when the job is finished. With simple satisfaction and just the hint of a boast, he points and says "I did that." At the return of the seventy that Jesus sent out to minister, Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, spoke these words: "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was Your good pleasure." The word 'joy' does not give the moment justice. It is a word that expresses inward triumph and exceeding exaltation and rejoicing, probably with an outward expression. Jesus was excited that they "got it"! They triumphed in the will of God, and more than that, they were changed by it. Let this be an "aha!" moment. The Master takes great joy in our victorious service to Him.

When we are the masterpiece He created us to be, we bring Him glory. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere a fragrance of the knowledge of Him." (2 Corinthians 2:14) We are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus. We are His trophies and all accolades belong to Him. It isn't the trophy that takes a bow, but the one who holds it. God wants us to know the hope of our calling and to be who He created us to be. He will see that the job gets done. He lovingly chose us, chastens us, and changes us. Can you smell the holy sawdust? It is the sweet fragrance of God at work on His masterpieces, each unique and of immeasurable value. I can almost see Jesus. His eyes are steadied on His workmanship, you and me. Elbowing the angel next to Him, He says, "do you see that workmanship?" And then our Master Craftsman grins and says with a laugh, "I did that!"


Copyright 2008 Sharon Denise Dorminy