2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
[Reconcile – v. to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent]
When you’re a kid you get told that you can be anything you want, but that is rarely helpful advice. If anything, it can be discouraging. Having so many options locks you up worrying about perfection. You start asking questions like, “How can I change the world?” But you can take a deep breath and step back and find freedom in the idea that Jesus has done the heavy lifting of changing the world. We don’t have to.
This means we can ask much smaller questions. Instead of asking “what should I do with my life?” ask “what can I do tomorrow to bring more reconciliation to the world?” And then do it. Ask again the next day and the next day. For some of us this path will lead to big important global work, and for others it will lead to big important personal work.
It doesn’t matter if you paint houses or paint canvases, you can do if for the glory of God. It doesn’t matter if you are an author or an accountant, you can do it for the glory of God. It doesn’t matter what you want to be when you grow up as long as the work of your hands is being done to the glory of God.
You were created for a purpose. You are a new creation through Christ.
“It is your job as a creator to accept that the work will be very, very hard; to understand the importance of deep reflection, and to fight the forces of fear and resistance, all in the name of filling blank pages and creating beauty.” – Blaine Hogan