The book of Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the Bible, not the least of which because it succinctly sums up God’s long-term plan and our purpose in life. This brief letter, written centuries ago to Saints who have long since passed into eternity, doesn’t just encourage me in my spiritual walk, it emboldens me in my creative pursuits as well.
When we read through Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, we find a man whose situation in life has in no way diminished his joy and passion in encouraging others. He’s been beaten, shipwrecked, defamed, rejected, and left for dead more than once. At the time of this writing, he was in a Roman prison waiting to stand trial for his faith in Christ.
Despite all this, his focus and purpose didn’t waver. Why? Because he knew that the same God who created the majesties of the universe set aside all of His riches in order to redeem us in the midst of our utter brokenness. He also knew without a doubt that we were designed by a creative God to be co-creators with Him—even while we are works in progress ourselves.
Imagine that. God did not come to earth as a man and suffer the humiliations and horrors of the cross in order for me to be perfect, but because He knew I am incapable of being perfect this side of eternity. And yet, He still invites me into the creative process with Him despite of all my shortcomings and hang-ups. In fact, before He spoke the first words of creation He thought of me and said, I have the perfect task for her.
He thought the same thought of you.
Whispers in the dark
The problem is, God isn’t the only one who thinks about us or the works that were created in advance for us. We also have an enemy who constantly tells us that we will never measure up spiritually, physically, or professionally. And, sneaky as he is, this enemy doesn’t come at us in a frontal assault that we can easily identify and repel. No, he sidles up and whispers to us in the dark.
Our enemy parades other “successful” writers in front of us and asks us how we can ever hope to replicate what they’ve done with their careers. He directs us to shelves full of books and websites filled with blog posts, planting the thought that anything we hope to say has already been said before andhas been better worded than we could ever hope to write.
He reminds us of our shortcomings, causes us to question our worth, and expends every resource available to him in order to separate us from the One who restores our mind, body, and soul.
Stand firm in your purpose and calling
If anyone was familiar with the devil’s tricks, it was Paul, which is why his letter to the Ephesians is so relevant to Christian writers today. It reminds us of who God is and who we are in Him. It assures us that we have purpose in this life and tasks that we were specifically created to complete. It encourages us to use our gifting not only to build up others, but to point them back to the Creator so that they in turn can find their identity and purpose as co-creators. And finally, the letter reveals to us how to overcome the destroyer of creation and creativity.
As co-creators, it’s vital that we work collaboratively with the One who is able to see beyond the deceptions of our enemy and into the heart of who we were designed to be. When we go back to the beginning and continue to shore up the foundation of our personal relationship with the Author of All, we find that our writing becomes less about building a career and a name for ourselves and more about enjoying and using the gifts and the talents bequeathed to us.
Don’t get me wrong. Writing is—and always will be—hard work. But, it’s when we find our identity and our security in Christ that we are fully able to express the words and the stories that we were born to tell.
