September 17th Devotion

Worth More Than a Picasso
By Deidre Braley 

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

I once bought a Picasso print at Ikea. It features a handful of his famous animal sketches—single lines formed into dogs, horses, flamingoes. I liked the print well enough, but it was the fact that Picasso had done it that made me want to buy it and hang it on my wall.

It’s interesting, yes? That the works of artists like Pablo Picasso are considered to be so inherently valuable—not for their content, necessarily, but rather for their creator. In truth, some of Picasso’s drawings are so simple they look like a child could have drawn them; I’m thinking now of such sketches as “Young Peasant Boy” and “Bull.” Still, they hang in museums and are universally applauded, pondered, and revered. At some point, Picasso became a household name; one with such indisputable merit that people would pay fortunes for his work. In fact, one of his paintings—“Femme à la montre”—even sold for $139 million at auction last year.

Just as anything that Picasso put his hand to is considered to have intrinsic worth, so it is with us—the workmanship of God. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork…” So it is of no consequence whether the world looks at us and deems us rich in color or interesting in subject matter or worthy of a bidding war. We have been created by the greatest artist in the entire universe, and because of this fact alone, we could be scribbled on a napkin and still be worth an entire fortune.

And not just that. We aren’t absent-minded doodles. The verse goes on to say that we are “...created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). We were formed with a purpose in mind. Long before this world could examine and critique and experience us—long before we were put on display—God crafted us to carry out good works. He put us into the world to make it better. Our value is undeniable.

It’s one thing to say we are inherently valuable; it’s another thing altogether to believe it. Often, we become so inundated with feelings of shame, inadequacy, and fear that we can hardly convince ourselves that we could be considered anything akin to art. At times like these, think back to Picasso. His art is considered valuable because it was his hand that created it—not necessarily because the content itself is perfect, stunning, or impressive. It is that way for us, too. We are God’s art, and whether we feel worthy of the acclaim or not, the fact is that we are a product of the outpouring of God’s mind, hand, and genius. It is indisputable: we are precious.

And if we are to be able to complete the good works that God has already prepared for us, we have to first walk in the understanding that we are the direct product of God’s irrefutable goodness. The Great Creator designed us. There is no question that we are valuable.

It is also helpful to remember this when it feels difficult to love others. When you must interact with someone who challenges you, try looking them in the eye and telling yourself, “This person is God’s handiwork. They (even they!) have good work set before them. God loves them and made them with a purpose in mind.” Watch to see how your attitude towards them softens. It is impossible to remain entirely bitter-angry-exasperated-critical when you recognize the Artist behind the creation in front of you.