I was wiping down some of my deer mounts that I had acquired over time. There’s one of my first bucks taken in Alabama, a Virginia eight-pointer, and a nice eleven from Missouri. Each mount made its way to my wall for different reasons along with the fact they made an attractive display. And then there’s the broken five-pointer. He’s small, unidimensional, and particularly unimpressive. Well overlooked by anyone who might be cruising my display. But he made his way to the wall not for what he is, but for whose he is. It was my son’s first buck. He was nine years old when he landed this massive monarch and forever stamped extreme value on this otherwise deficient deer. The value was not in the work of art, but in who signed it.
The Apostle Paul described us this way. He said, “We are God’s workmanship.” This word workmanship is the Greek word Poiema. It is where we get our English word poem. It is only used one other time in the Bible. And again, Paul is using it to describe another work of God – the created world. Many preachers and theologians like to say we are God’s masterpiece and while this is true, this actually puts the emphasis on the work instead of the designer. You see, if you see yourself as unimpressive or of little value, you are looking at the work and not Who is doing the work. Let me illustrate another way. Have you ever gained the signature of a famous person on a worthless piece of paper, shirt, or other item? If you have, then you’ll understand how the value truly comes. And this is no different in our lives. What gave mankind value above all other creation was the signature breath of God on our lives. And what continues to give us value is not that we are just any sequence of rhythmic words strung together, but that we are a poem – some elaborate and some simple – but all, individually and authentically, signed by God.
Gary Miller
gary@outdoortruths.org