As we move into 2020…
A new year and decade…
What is God asking us to do?
In response to God’s call…
What must I leave behind?
What must I strip back to the true core?
What must I hold on to?
What new thing must I embrace?
What fear must I face?
What risk must I take?
What must I commit to daily, weekly, monthly, to arrive at God’s and my desired end?
God lead me, these days, for what you want to accomplish in the next 10 years.
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I discovered a new artist this year. His name is Simon Beck. He describes himself as a snow artist. That’s right – a snow artist.
Being a snow artist doesn’t mean he makes snow angels all day long. No, that would be the extent of my snow art.
He looks for large snow canvas’s and works his magic.
He has 300 pieces to date, some in the sand as well.
This got me thinking…
- How long does it take him to complete one?
- How much thought and planning go into this?
- What kind of patience is needed to start these pieces, and then push through until the end?
- Think about what they look like at the beginning? Not much I’m assuming.
- And how long until someone like me sees progress and the art starts to take shape?
I’m like a kid when watching something like this. I’m the same when work is getting done in my home…or any kind of construction site. Intrigued, curious, enjoying the process and progress, and once in a while wishing there was more to see, more aspects of the job complete. And when it’s all done, I’m always amazed at the vision and planning behind the job – the ability to see a project come together from beginning to end.
This quote may capture what I’m thinking…
“He who works with his hands is a labouror. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”
I wonder if we have the patience to see our lives in this manner? And if we have the discipline to plan, pray, strategize, and slowly but surely craft our lives, our relationships, our impact, our plans, together in this way? Look ahead to what can be, and slowly plod our way there.
We are WORKs of ART.
We are also WORKs in PROGRESS.
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How do we apply this to, not only a new year, a new season, but a new decade, with all the possibilities and potential that it holds?
We should take these ‘crossing points’ in our lives to plan, budget, dream, strategize, etc. But how much more important is this moment as we look at a whole other decade to live out our dreams, God’s plans, our hopes, God’s desires, all wrapped up together?
I felt we should walk through just a few scriptures today – ones that I believe are connected in some way, but will also connect the dots for us as we place our lives, our year, our decade, in the very loving and capable hands of God.
(Take note on how the words are separated. This is intentional. I’d like you to read the verse by thinking about each phrase on it’s own and then how it connects to what line comes next and what line came before it. FYI: this is a good way to meditate and reflect on scripture.)
Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s
Handiwork
Created
In Christ Jesus
To do good works
Which God prepared in advanced for us to do
We are God’s art work. God’s work of art. This is how he views us. Do we see ourselves in this way? Do we live in this truth? Do we act and do and serve and work and love with this in mind?
With that thought in mind, even though we are God’s work of art, we are still a work in progress – we are His work in progress!!!
Philippians 1:6
Be confident of this
He who began
A good work
In you
Will be faithful
To complete it
We need to know this at every stage of the game…every season and stage of our life – as kids, teens, young adults, adults, married, single, parents, not parents, seniors, elderly – ALL seasons.
God started something good in you. He won’t give up on you or the work he’s doing in and through you.
We are partnering with God in becoming who he wants us to be, so we need to play our part in this good work he is doing in and through us.
Psalm 90:12
Teach us
To number our days
That we may gain a heart of wisdom
What does it mean to number our days?
To plan them well.
To understand the significance of a moment, of a season, of the time we have and the time we’ve already lost.
– Today, tomorrow, this month, this year, this decade, our whole life.
We are smarter when we do this!!!
– Unwise people don’t think about their days at all, they let them slip through their fingers.
Perhaps you’ve had these thoughts: I don’t want Monday to arrive? I’d rather let this day pass in hopes that tomorrow is better? You want me to number my days? Take them seriously? Plan well for them? Take them on? Each one of them, like they mean something? YES!
Psalm 90:17
May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us
Establish the work of our hands
Establish the work of our hands
David doesn’t say, establish the work of ‘your’ hands, but of ‘our’ hands. Our work. Our planning. Our sweat. Our labour. IN CONNECTION with GOD’s work, God’s heart, God’s plans, God’s vision for us and this world.
– – – – – –
As we look at the next 10 years, and we begin to work towards the ART God calls us to create and make, what will we do to get there – to accomplish our/his goals, in and through us?
In 10 years, what do you want your…
– Relationships to look like
– Finances to look like
– Parenting to look like
– Work/Career/Vocation to look like
– Neighbourhood to look like
– Spiritual formation to look like
– The Village to look like
Think about Simon Beck’s SNOW ART. Think about how beautiful and grand it looks. Now think about this: as big and beautiful as it is, it takes a step at a time to get there. Simon started with one step, then another, then another. But not just any kind of step, a well planned and thought out step, one that he knew would get him to his desired end.
What steps will you take – daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, to get to where God wants you in the next ten years. You can do it. The good work God has started in you is far from over. Keep moving forward. So, God willing, when we get to 2030, you’ll look back and be able to say, “Look what God did in and through me these last ten years.”