I am not my own

I am not my own.
These hands, these thoughts,
this hodge podge of talents and emotions,
this unique blend of personhood
Was created,
Formed in the darkness,
Known intimately before anyone else realized I existed.

I am not my own.
The minutes and hours, the possessions,
the abilities and opportunities I have are gifts and not accomplishments.
They are mine only to steward, not to claim,
And someday I will give an account of how I used them.

I am not my own.
Crafted in the image of the Holy one,
Connected by bonds of friendship, brotherhood, community, blood.
I am not an island.
What I choose, how I act, how I feel
Ripples out
To so many around me
Awash in the waters of my influence
For good or bad.

I am not my own.
I am not the czar of life.
My desires should not (and do not) reign supreme.
I am a part
Yes, a beloved, chosen, precious part
But among other beloved, chosen, precious parts.
My task is not to fulfill my own desires or ambitions
But to do the tasks the Creator has assigned me.

I am not my own.
Sullied by my own sin,
Crippled by human weakness,
Beset by my own brokenness,
I would have been without hope.
But I have been bought
By the precious blood of the One who loved me
And died for me.

I am not my own.
And so I must yield
My heart, my hands, my time, myself
To the shaping, molding and breaking of his nail scarred hands.
He alone gets to decide my purposes, my place in his works.
He alone holds eternity.

Will I trust him enough to yield my mistaken idea of belonging to self
And trade in for the eternal embrace of belonging instead to Him?

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. ~ Jim Elliot

You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men ~ 1 Corinthians 7:23

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ~ Jeremiah 18:6

Photo by Andreas Strandman on Unsplash