Have you ever been told or thought…you were worthless, unwanted, unloved, useless, or a burden to your family and others? Regardless of our past, none of us is really satisfied with ourselves: we would like to be taller, more athletic, smarter, more educated, more beautiful, or have something we don’t.
I have gone through childhood, being fat, feeling ugly and taunted. I felt totally unaccepted and rejected. When I finally learned that God loved me and accepted me just as I was, I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to come into my life and take charge. I felt loved and accepted. In all of this, I didn’t realize God had allowed this and had made me with a glandular disorder and that He had a great plan for my life. I didn’t realize He had equipped me to be a wife, a mother, a Bible study teacher, to travel all over the world for Him.
(A local artist from Northwest Arkansas, Erin B., created over 100 of these beautiful, one of a kind, watercolors to share with each resident in a local women's prison. The message through art was this...You are unique and very special to God!)
You aren’t simply an egg hatched in the wild, or an electronic device with no conscience or sense of purpose. You are created in the image of God. You are unique in that there will never be another person just like you. You are created as body, soul, and spirit. You are an amazing work of God…you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139: 13-14 says” 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.”
No matter how dirty or rumpled a $100 bill becomes, it still has value. Your life may seem really ugly and messed up, but you have intrinsic value, because God made you and loves you. Maybe the circumstances surrounding your birth were not ideal. We know that life comes from God, and if human love was absent, God’s love was present. God wants you to be a part of this world and this time and He has a plan for your life.
We don’t all look alike, or have the same skills and abilities. Look at different brushes. A tooth brush, a hair brush, a paint brush. We need them all and they are greatly valued, but have a different role to play. So it is with your life. You each have different skills, and abilities. You have different personality combinations: You may be outgoing, or quiet, you may be a leader or a follower, you may be a very sensitive, compassionate person or a very task oriented person. The world needs them all.
Another factor in knowing the plan and purpose for your life is the life experiences that God has sovereignly allowed. These help us know our giftedness for helping other in our world. God often allows hard times for a purpose to make our lives more purposeful. We need to see ourselves not as losers, but winners that God is preparing for a very significant role in life….be it big or small. We need to look at a beautiful piece of art to see how both light and dark, rich and muted colors make the picture beautiful. So it is with our life. God made us and uses all of our life abilities, and circumstances to be a beautiful creation for His use.
As you grow to appreciate how uniquely gifted you are it will add vitality, direction, and satisfaction to your life . It will allow you to be more fully the person God created you to be: “Fearfully and wonderfully made.”
You ARE very special!