Ephesians 2:10
“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Did you know that the word “workmanship” used in the above scripture is translated from the Greek word “poiema” which means “poem”? I didn’t. I never took Greek in college, and I vaguely remember any of the heady Bible classes that I actually did take. So, this morning as our pastor shared this timely insight with us, my heart literally skipped a beat. Instantly, my mind went back to a poem I wrote in 1995 while in treatment for depression and an eating disorder.
For too many years, I had struggled with a distorted self-image. I didn’t see myself as God’s workmanship, but rather as one giant mistake. Through the course of healing, I discovered just how wrong I was – so blind. Not only did I have a distorted self-image, but I had a very distorted view of God. In the middle of my recovery, I sat down and penned this poem. Little did I know that the word “workmanship” is derived from the word “poem”, and God so many times in His word reminds us that we are His. We are His poem. God’s workmanship. God’s masterpiece.
I Am A Poem
I am a poem
Created in my mother’s womb
I was intended to be this way
With awkward words
And silly smiles
With dreams I pray may come alive
I catch myself in such critical states
And forget that I am wonderfully made
I am a poem
Crafted and perfected
By the hands of the Master Poet
Each word, each phrase
Is a prayer to the heavens
And its beauty is much more than I have seen
I am a poem
-Written July, 4, 1995