How many of you tend to feel “less than” or unworthy because you can’t accept how you were designed physically or even emotionally. Every part of us is intricately designed by the master. He didn’t say, I gave her the wrong hair color, she’s too tall, the wrong skin color, she’s too large, or she doesn’t have the right personality etc. He knew what he was doing when he put his design together.
Nothing was considered to be something that wasn’t beautiful in His eyes. It’s only we who put the negative labels on ourselves, and the enemy of this world would love to be the accuser. He puts negative voices in our head that we heard from peers growing up or our parents that said things to us.
I love taking art lessons, but I’m aware that many times my first painting from a resource is not ideal. I tend to learn from my mistakes and many times I can correct things when I do it a second round. Not always, though, as sometimes my first is my best. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes and what we do wrong the first time. Are you hard on yourself when you do things less than perfect expecting so much from yourselves?
I’m aware that when God created us, he created perfection. Every part of us is intricately designed by the master. He didn’t say, I gave her the wrong hair color, she’s too tall, the wrong skin color, she’s too large, or she does not have the right personality etc. He knew what he was doing when he put his design together.What I know about the Creator is He didn’t say I have to redesign this person since the first design did not come out right. He created something beautiful and gave us His full identity as sons and daughters. We just need to embrace that value, separate from what the media or the world says.
God has given me very curly hair, which has been my nemesis. I always felt like I did not fit in when I saw my peers with incredibly beautiful straight hair. To top it off, I had freckles and couldn’t enjoy a gorgeous tan that my friends had. This set me off to not believe in what God had designed me to have. I spent tons of time seeking out ways to straighten my hair, find the right rollers, and try to feel accepted with the straight hair fashion that I saw in many of my schoolmates.
Psalm 139 says that we are wonderfully and fearfully made. I’ve had to embrace this truth whole-heartedly without just words on paper. I must believe God knew what He was doing when he created me with curly hair. After all, I am the envy of those who have to spend money on perms and curly irons to create the hair they desire.
When you think of a masterpiece, what comes to mind? Leonard Divinci was skilled at developing his masterpiece, the Mona Lisa. Over multiple years, he intermediately worked on it until his death. He meticulously painted to get the exact strokes in, and some say he didn’t even finish the landscape!
In God’s infinite power, He designed the universe with all its intricacy. He designed animals and other living creatures in just days. Along with that he designed man with the first being Adam. He knew what he was doing in all the creation. We get to be recipients of his beautiful designs. When I look outside at nature, I see His workmanship. It’s hard not to believe in a creator when we see all the beauty around us.
In my art class, while looking at all the paintings that people have designed and can see the beauty in all of them…even in the ones that are new to the art world and not as experienced. I challenge you to begin to see attractiveness in yourself and others, even though they might not match up to society’s norms. Focus on your inward heart that God sees, not your outward appearance. If we keep our hearts pure, we can be seen as more amazing than even those who look attractive to the world. The models we envy many times are heavily laden with negativity that gets conveyed in their faces, thus losing the beauty that is there.
What are you holding onto that is getting in the way of your beauty? Are you angry because of the way God has orchestrated things in your life? Are you feeling inadequate that you didn’t pick a better husband so you could have a lasting marriage? Do you dislike the physical features God has given you? Maybe it’s time to rid yourself of these judgments and trust that God is weaving an inner canvas in your life that is more beautiful. It is then that you can truly walk in the masterpiece of God’s design in You.