God’s Handiwork: Living the Beauty of His Poetry

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Recently, I finished a book by Brant Hansen titled Life Is Hard, God Is Good, Let’s Dance. One of his statements has given me a fresh appreciation for Paul’s choice of words, especially in the following verse:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 ESV

Hansen pointed out that the word Paul uses for handiwork comes from the Greek word poiēma, meaning something made or crafted, and the source of our English word poem. Thank you, Mr. Hansen! That one-sentence insight has taken root in my heart and inspired this blog post.

What a startling and beautiful revelation: each of us is God’s work of art! We have our own rhythm, purpose, emotions, struggles, victories, and meaning. This truth is connected to our being created in the image of God. We truly are His handiwork. And like a poem, each life is a unique expression of His creative work, regardless of its length, style, or the emotions it evokes.

“Every poem is a vehicle I hope will carry me from self-delusion into self-discovery.”
—Nancy Miller Gomez

This quote deepens my understanding of my relationship with God. Our journey leads us away from self-absorption and toward the Creator. The various styles and forms of poetry remind me that there is no single way to express the beauty of God’s handiwork. That gives me confidence:

1. When I don’t rhyme.
2. When life challenges me with confusing comparisons.
3. When I can’t find the right word to explain how I feel—or don’t feel.
4. When snippets of wisdom threaten the negativity pouring through my veins.
5. When stressors receive more attention than words of hope.
6. When I attempt to drift through life rather than build a meaningful legacy.
7. When I compare myself to others and forget that I’m my own poem.
8. When I tell myself it’s wrong to lament and grieve a loss.
9. When I forget that life is a series of paradoxes waiting to reveal explosive truths.
10. When I forget I’m created in the image of God, and He doesn’t create anything worthless.

These quotes offer additional insights into how we can recognize and embrace God’s handiwork. Here are my interpretations.

“Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”
—T. S. Eliot

Mr. Eliot, we all experience emotions that sometimes take life experiences to understand.

“The true poem is the poet’s mind; the true ship is the ship-builder.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mr. Emerson, I’m inclined to agree. The Creator’s heart and imagination are reflected in what He creates.

“If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.”
—David Carradine

Mr. Carradine, we are all poems. Let’s live in a way that reflects the One who created us.

“A complete poem is one where an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found the words. Some poems took years to find their words.”
—Robert Frost

Mr. Frost, some lives take years to discover their worth.

Dear friends, I’ve rambled on about poetry, handiwork, and the beauty of being created in the image of God. But here’s what I want us to remember: God doesn’t create duplicates. He creates individuals, each with a purpose, a story, and a unique expression of His love.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever considered that your life is a unique poem, written by the Creator?