We Are God’s Handiwork

I read a story this week about a friend offering to care for a couple’s children while they went on a date. Being practical people, they decided to go grocery shopping. Returning with grocery bags, the friend said, “I thought you were going somewhere special.” The couple told the friend that what makes a date special isn’t so much what you do, but who you’re with.

I thought about this story this weekend as Carolyn and I celebrated our 50th anniversary. We went to a Mennonite farm for a delicious meal. The meal was great, but the company was better. We celebrated with two couples that we have served beside for many years. We ate and then talked for two hours. Being with the love of my life and with friends made the 50-year celebration wonderful.

The Book of Ruth is an interesting chapter of Scripture because it doesn’t record God saying or doing anything. Instead, it’s about two people coming together in a relationship. In the final chapter of Ruth, we read that Ruth and Boaz’s union resulted in a son named Obed, who just happened to be the grandfather of David (4:17). Matthew 1:1 tells us that Jesus was born into David’s family. Jesus shares the ordinary story about Ruth and Boaz, describing God’s plan.

The next time you do something ordinary like going to the grocery store or having a meal with friends, look at what is happening through Christ because He gives eternal significance to even the most ordinary situation and relationships.

Prayer – Jesus gives eternal purpose and meaning to the most ordinary circumstances. May each of us see our relationships and circumstances through Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 2:10 – “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Laura Pocho, Harli Marten & Sweet Life, courtesy of Unsplash