Beautiful and Unique

This week’s post is all about you. Do you have any idea how special you are? How loved you are? You are beautiful and unique in God’s eyes. Every one of you.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that God made us in His image and likeness, the most perfect, magnificent being in the universe. He told Jeremiah that He knew him before He knit him together in his mother’s womb. This is a CEO who walks up and down the production line, checking on every item to ensure quality control! No errors. Luke 12:27 says: the hairs on our head are numbered. There is nothing about our creation that God left to chance. You are beautiful and unique and created for His purpose, exactly the way He wanted you.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139:13-15.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God created us beautiful, loving, kind, and patient because that is how He is. He created us to have a relationship with Him and with each other. We received unique gifts, talents, and abilities that would enable us to carry out our roles. Finding that unique God-given makeup and embracing it, is key to living a life of reward.

God’s Image vs Wordly Image

Sadly, the world impacts that perfect image. Never more so than today, with media and technology blaring an alternate message in our faces 24/7. Eventually, we become materialistic, cynical, angry, bitter, full of pride and blemished by the ways of the world. We see ourselves through the eyes of the world, instead of the eyes of our maker.

Other people’s opinions affect us. Belief systems are confused, values and morals are frowned upon. We believe the lies that we don’t live up to this image the world sets for us; therefore we are inadequate, not good enough. The world says you must look a certain way, live here, drive that, do this. You have to be famous, rich, the perfect parent and have a gazillion followers on social media. Who on earth can live up to this? Then we wonder why we have so many depressed individuals, suicidal teenagers, and broken homes. We have lost sight of the fact that we are special, beautiful and unique in God’s eyes…and that is all that matters.

Swamped by Pollution

I saw a video on the internet recently, it showed what was literally a flowing stream of pollution. Plastic bottles, tins, and litter washed down by the flooding waters, covered the stream underneath. The clip of bystanders watching in astonishment and disgust went viral. We see it often, where pollution has marred God’s perfect creation. Yet underneath all that rubbish, there still flows, a beautiful stream.

Friends, we are like that too. Our minds become polluted with false beliefs, negative thoughts, destructive behavior, and lies. We compare ourselves to a worldly image and find ourselves falling short of expectations. Demands and busyness in an attempt to keep up, leave us feeling incompetent. This is how we see ourselves, reflected in the mirror of the world. But behind all of that, hidden from view, lies God’s beautiful and perfect creation. Special and unique.

Believe You are Special

God may take us on a rocky road during our lives, not to punish us but to draw us closer to Him. Our journey may be more challenging and different from another person’s. This does not mean we are less special to Him. Do not measure your value in terms of somebody else’s success.

Thoughts that Pollute

Whatever happens to us, it is never an excuse for wrong thinking. Thoughts such as “I’m like this because of my upbringing/background or whatever”; or “I was born this way so I can’t change”, are the pollution that taints us. We see ourselves in a negative light and behavior follows. So begins a downward spiral of resentment, anger, bitterness, and self-hatred. That is not what defines you. God doesn’t create us to think or be like that, it is merely the flesh talking and these thoughts and behaviors steal our peace.

You may be hurt by circumstances or by another individual who has their own demons. Don’t allow that to influence your thinking. Keep your stream clean. Look past the hurt, disappointment and other rubbish. Look instead at what is deep inside, how God sees you. Go back to His word and read what it says about His character. That’s the real image. Not what the world says you look like. Not what social media, magazines and reality shows say you should look like.

Corrie Ten Boom

I have huge admiration for the late Corrie Ten Boom, who I’m sure you all know was a prisoner during WW11. In a cruel, ugly, polluted world, she found hope, she found the strength to carry out her purpose and not get tainted. If you don’t know her, look her up, she had incredible wisdom.

Corrie never gave up being special and unique, even under the most horrendous circumstances. After the war, she went on to inspire and motivate millions. We don’t have to all be Corrie Ten Booms, but one thing that stands out about her is that she did not let what happened to her pollute her thinking; she knew who she was.

Activity

Time to look in the mirror. What do you see? Be honest with yourself. Look past the reflection and examine your thoughts, feelings, actions. What do they tell you?

Now write down all of the things you discovered and/or confirmed. Maybe you are doing ok and comfortable with who you are. Maybe you are not. If any part of this activity or post brought you to tears, chances are you are buried under a pile of polluted thoughts. This is not the life you are meant to be living.