How Is Your Poetry?

I have never been a poet nor one who aspired to be.  Poetry was something we had to read in school and it often crept up in church bulletins and other things I read.  For the most part, poetry is something I can say I never appreciated.  To be honest, most of it confused me.

With those thoughts in mind, a deep reading of this verse really got my mind to running.

Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

No doubt we all have heard the verse and know its meaning.  We are created to good works, which is our Father's ultimate goal for us.  This alone is a verse that can launch many sermons and lessons.  I would like to key in on the first phrase, "For we are his workmanship".

One can take a trip through the Bible and see how our Father watches us from conception on.  Once we accept Christ as our savior a new work begins in us as our old man dies and a new man is born. God uses this term "workmanship" to describe a Christian.  The Greek word underlying this term is my focus.  

In English the word workmanship means, "that which has been made, a work (of the works of God as creator)" as defined by Vines.  

In the Greek the word is poiēma.  As is typical of the Greek, it carries a meaning we often miss in just the English.  This Greek word poiēma is the word we get our English word poem from.  Once I realized this, it made my mind run off in quite a few different directions.  

My overall thoughts were that Christians are just like poetry, we are all different.  Now, please do not assume I am talking about all who claim to be Christians, but those who have actually accepted Christ and live by his word.  Of that small group, there are those who rhyme, those who don't rhyme, those who speak long, or those who speak little.  Just as there are deep poems, there are deep thinking Christians.  There are those who smile and love others, as some poetry makes you do.  As many kinds of poetry as there are there are believers of a similar vein.  

Carrying the thought a little farther, ponder the fact that as God's workmanship we are a poem he is writing. Unlike a poem being rushed through and done with little thought, with poor rhyming and meter, we are different.  From the foundations of time God knew us and our lives.  As our lives are ruled by our decisions, He knows what we will do but works to guide us correctly anyway.  That decision to make the correct decision or action is ours, even if God has done his best to push us to the right path.  

As a result some of our poems started out rhyming with a wonderful happy and light meter.  Over time the poem becomes discordant, without rhyme or good meter.  Occasionally it will come back, and leave and come back for a longer time.  Our paths are echoed by our mistakes, and these bad decisions are what build us.  Sometimes God sends us down wrong paths in order to teach us something.  Over time many of my scars were certainly built because of me, but I found after each, over time, I saw how God used something I had learned in helping others.  My story is no different than any other.  

Each day we have decisions to make.  Do we keep God in our thoughts all day?  Do we thank him for little things or only ask for help during difficulties?  Or, do we not talk to him at all during the day? Do we read the scripture daily, even a few verses, or do we fill our time with television and hobbies? 

One day we will stand before a Holy throne and be held accountable for our poem's content.  May each of you ponder this each day, and strive for a better poem.  

Now I guess with this knowledge I have to say I like poetry.  Yes, that makes me smile.