UFO’s
By Elizabeth
Cole
“…being
confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
A friend told me she was expecting twins
and, in excitement, I started stitching two beautiful blankets. Purchasing the
pattern and materials needed, I anticipated how sweet it would be to wrap up
each baby in the softest of colors. I worked diligently on those complicated
projects, though there did come a point when I needed to set them aside for,
well…27 years! Yes, they’re still unfinished…yes, I had to buy something else
to celebrate their birth…yes, they’re even now tucked in a bin of “UFO’s” in my
basement.
UnFinished Objects. Ugh. Am I the only
one who enthusiastically starts projects, only to get distracted? Another
object grabs my attention, until even another one moves me from the second, and
on it goes. Case in point: We lived in a wallpapered bedroom for eight whole
years that only needed one half of one last strip of wallpaper to be completed!
Sometimes, I confess, it has more to do
with confusion. I’ve come to a point in a project’s instructions that I don’t understand, so I set it aside
to try to figure it out later. MUCH later, because I have no idea how to
proceed, nor do I have a clear vision of what it’s going to look like in the end.
And, ultimately, it’s forgotten.
And then there are those UFO’s that I decided were simply
unattractive. I’m quite clear on how they’re going to turn out…and I don’t really like them. My skills
aren’t what I hoped they’d be; the idea isn’t playing out. Any further time
spent on those projects is a waste of energy.
As a Christ-follower, ever considered
yourself a UFO?
Beloved, be confident today. While you
are, in fact, an unfinished object, you can be assured that your Maker will
continue His good work in you until completion. No, He’s not found you to be too
complicated. No, He hasn’t left you to move on to
something/someone more interesting. He’s definitely not confused by what
to do next, nor does He wonder how you’ll ever become the person He
designed you to be. You are not forgotten. And yes, His skills are up to the
task, He finds you worth His energy, and He delights in who you’re going to be when He’s done.
So, breathe. Believe Him. Say “thank you.” Cooperate
with what He’s doing. Tell someone else. Love Him
more. Repeat. Anticipating the day He returns or calls us home and we are, finally…complete.
GOING DEEPER:
1. How does knowing God’s promise of completion encourage
you to trust Him more? To treat others differently?
FURTHER READING:
Elizabeth is
a wife and mother of three grown daughters; a mother-in-law to two sons. She is
the Director of Connecting at Oakwood Church.
