“Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas:—How comes it to be furnished?” ~ John Locke

I once read that the famed philosopher John Locke defended the whole of the Christian Bible as reasonable. This may be little a compliment, as God knows His entire Word is reasonable because He spoke it. But to the Biblical skeptic, this should give pause for thought as John Locke was an entirely reasonable man. Saying this, of all the reasoning that Locke excuded, his idea of a Tabala Rusa of human consciousness does not pass the smell test for me.

Have you ever wondered if your life is just a random collection of experiences or if there’s something more? Imagine discovering that your existence isn’t a blank slate waiting to be filled but a carefully crafted masterpiece with purpose woven into every moment. Or perhaps better put, a scratched, beat up canvas, that God predestined to be transformed into something far greater.

The canvas of life begins scuffed and marred by original sin from the Garden of Eden and gets copied and reproduced generation after generation, which seems tragic; nonetheless, in our weakness God’s glory shines through brilliantly as an artist (2 Corinthians 12:9-12). We see the effects of sins passed down from generation to generation, making the idea of a “blank canvas” only molded by experience to bit a bit farfetched.

Most of us grew up believing we could be anything, do anything – that life was simply about writing our own story. But what if the most profound chapters were already written? What if your journey began long before you took your first breath?

The Bible reveals a startling reality: we’re not neutrally waiting to be shaped by circumstances. We’re broken, deeply in need of rescue. Drowning, in need of a hand, which although seemed far, was always reaching closer than ever imagined. In Romans 3, the apostle Paul pulls back the curtain on human nature, describing a condition far from neutral – we’re fundamentally separated from God.

Your starting point is not potential, but brokenness. Which is actually good news.

Ephesians 2 describes a divine interruption – God stepping into your brokenness with an extraordinary rescue plan. You weren’t just improved or constructed; you were completely recreated.

The grace that you need was not a band-aid and not a self-help strategy. It was a complete transformation.

One could think of it like this, although the following is still just a visual. The truth is far better. Imagine you’re driving down a road in a car, with every warning light on, heading nowhere good. Instead of just giving you directions, God snatches you out of the driver’s seat, places you in a brand new ride, and sets you on an entirely new path.

Ephesians 1 reveals something mind-blowing – you were chosen before the world began. Not because of your achievements, which could not possibly please the Creator of the Universe. It is silly to think our works could! His choosing of us is only possible by His incredible love. You were chosen before time began, adopted as a child, not a spawn of afterthought, purposefully designed with a specific mission. Your value isn’t determined by your past mistakes, current circumstances (no matter how grim they might be), nor by future uncertainties.

Your value is rooted in being deliberately loved and chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ.

This isn’t just theological theory or conjecture either. This is about how you can live today. A new spiritual DNA.

You are more than a blank page waiting to be written on. You are a masterpiece in progress whose colors are forged by Christ’s sacrifice on your behalf, crafted by the ultimate Artist, with a purpose that extends beyond what you can currently imagine. A transformation that began on the basis of faith by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).