“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 (NIV)
As I read about how we are all God’s handiwork, and created to do good things during our lifetime, I am reminded of how Jesus blessed little children. Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospel all tell us that the kingdom of God belongs to the youngest among us, as they describe Jesus laying His hands on children, praying for them, and blessing them. (Matthew 19:14)
While we are all God’s handiwork, Jesus spoke with authority in declaring the kingdom of heaven belongs to infants and children. Through His words, we are confident that infants and children who haven’t lived a full life, have immediate entrance into heaven. Jesus gave them a special blessing, but history would later reveal the stark facts of the mortality of infants and children.
Statistics show that 50% of all the children ever conceived throughout human history, did not live past the age of five, due to war, poverty, starvation and disease. If we include into that percentage, all of the spontaneous miscarriages and abortions, it would mean that the vast “majority” of human beings never lived to adulthood. I never thought of myself as a minority, but this makes all of us part of a minority of human beings who lived into our adulthood.
Since the kingdom of heaven belongs to children, as Jesus said, there must be a great multitude of infants and children populating heaven, many of whom may even be the children, siblings, or cousins of all of us, who are reading this today.
Every human life is created by God and loved by God. Scripture says that the Lord takes no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies. (Ezekiel 18.32)
The Spirit inspired David to write that our inward parts were being formed in the womb, while the days of our life were written in God’s book.
(Psalm 139:16)
God has a purpose for every human life, and a work for us to do, which He has prepared for us in advance. This is the case for every life He creates, regardless of the length of their days.
There is a plan, a blueprint, and a purpose assigned to all of us. Every life is called to serve some purpose, whether we live for a minute or for a century. This means that those of us who are the minority who made it to adulthood, have a purpose to fulfill. It’s up to us to pray and seek what our purpose is.
The scripture today reminds us that we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance. We are all living miracle human beings, a part of the minority who made it to adulthood, and we each have a unique purpose, according to our different personalities, family upbringing, abilities, disabilities, gifts and talents.
Despite all of our differences, we all have one purpose in common, and that is to find the way we were meant to glorify God through our lives. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
Since God, in His patience and mercy, gives us multiple chances throughout adulthood, and the grace to discover and fulfill the purpose He has for us, we have the opportunity to do what we were meant to do, that will bring glory to God. Since so much has been given to us, much will also be required of us. (Luke 12:48)
Every lost infant or child can bring glory to God, as well. My mother’s sister was a mother of six, but she once miscarried identical twin boys. When I gave birth to identical twin boys, my Aunt Elizabeth seemed to be the happiest person among my entire family. It puzzled me at first, but in some mysterious way, she felt the infant twins she lost, who were in heaven, were being honored by the birth of her twin great nephews.
I hope to be reunited with many loved ones in heaven one day, and maybe I’ll even meet those twin cousins who went from the womb straight to heaven.
All life is a gift, and since we are a part of that blessed minority who are adults, we can show our gratitude to God, by being open to fulfill whatever plan He has made in advance for us.
Lord, thank you for allowing us to be among those who make it to the age we are, since we are all your handiwork and created to bring glory to you throughout our lives. As we value the purpose of all life, teach us how we can do those good things you have planned for us to do. Amen