You are a Masterpiece!

Scripture:

7: So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

10: For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2 (NLT)

People suffer from serious body image issues. Body dysmorphic disorder. Anorexia. Bulimia. The body image spectrum ranging from very positive to very negative, or according to another source, from body love to body hate. Surprisingly (or not), the majority of those surveyed fell into the neutral or very negative ranges. That explains the insane amount of money spent each year, particularly in the US, on plastic surgery. The prolific use of social media against which to measure oneself has only served to exacerbate the issue. 

Sadly, there are also some serious spiritual image issues. Insufficiency. Inadequacy. Unworthy. Shame and condemnation. Unlovable. Unforgiveable. Unredeemable. Undeserving. Hopelessness. Similar to the body image surveys, the number of people who fall into one of these categories is on the rise. As more people turn away from God, more of them are finding themselves feeling “less than”. That is because they are measuring themselves against the world’s standards rather than against the Word’s.

God said, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made”. Believe that! God said, “You are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath”. Believe that! God said, “You have been made righteous and holy and accepted in the Beloved”. Believe that! God said, “Nothing can separate you from His love”. Believe that! According to 1 Peter 2:9, “you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people,…” No matter what you think of you, God thinks you are special! Believe that!

In the song “Enough”, Anthony Brown sings, “Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not great, or that you’re not fearfully and wonderfully made. You are special, a designer’s original. It doesn’t matter what they say or what they do, all that matters is how you feel about you. You’re amazing, the moment that you think so.”

You are God’s special creation, made in His image and in His likeness. Each of you is specially made for a purpose. He gave you the exact look and personality and heart to fulfill that purpose. Don’t let those around you determine your worth and value. That can only come from the One who knows you. He calls you His masterpiece – a one-of-a-kind original – and masterpieces are always valuable. Believe that!

Prayer:

Father, thank You for making us in Your image and in Your likeness. You declared that all of Your creation was good. Since You called it good, forgive us for calling ourselves anything different. Help us to see ourselves as You see us – worthy of love and acceptance. As we do, may we love others as we love ourselves and love You with all our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflection:

“By doing the work to love ourselves more, I believe we will love each other better.”

(Laverne Cox)