You are God's Masterpiece

In an experiment a number of years ago, a psychologist put large realistic scars on the faces of a group of people, then told them to go out to see how the public reacted to them. 2 However, before they were sent out, the participants were told that some last-minute touch-ups were required on their scars. During these touch-ups, the scars were actually removed without the subjects knowing it; they still thought they wore scars as they went out in public.

After returning, they all reported the same experience: people were mean to them, looked at them weird, and were judgmental. Their mistaken self-view affected how they thought others saw them—which consequently affected how they saw themselves.

Most of us live as if we have scars. We live as if what Jesus did on the cross made no difference. Do you have past scars that define you? Do you hold on to labels that people have given you? Do you see yourself the way God sees you, or do you think something’s uniquely wrong with you?

The good news is that Jesus has made you new. He has taken your mess and turned it into a masterpiece. He has taken your scars and redeemed them. He has ripped off the labels the world has given you and has given you a new label—masterpiece.

You’re His finest work. Nothing you’ve done defines you. Nothing you’ll do can define you. God is the only One who defines you. And He says, “You are my finest work, my masterpiece, my favorite.”

I’m a guy, but I struggle with how I look. Some think that’s only a girl thing, but it isn’t. The body image thing, I get it. The struggle is real. The mirror is a liar. Comparison is a thief. Here’s what I’ve learned: When you look in the mirror, choose to see yourself the way God does. He created us, and if He’s good with how we look, then you and I are good.

Our identity doesn’t come from how we feel about ourselves. Nor does it come from what the scale says, what a paycheck says, or what anyone says. Our identity is rooted in Christ alone.

God doesn’t make mistakes; He makes masterpieces. You’re not a mistake. God didn’t mess up when He created you. He likes everything about you. We can hear this message, but we still get thoughts every day that tell us we’re a mistake and a mess. The good news: We can choose not to entertain those thoughts. We can choose not to compare. Sure, we may struggle with this; everyone does. But we still have the power to choose between God’s thoughts or negative thoughts.

It’s not your fault that you get the thoughts. It’s crucial to understand that the thoughts do not come from us; they come from sin and shame. Although shame often speaks in the first person, we’re not our shame.

The world is a mess. Your thoughts and behavior are a mess. But you, the child of God, are not a mess. You’re God’s masterpiece, no matter what you think, feel, or do.

The voice living in you is greater than the voice that’s in the world. You’re not bound to what you’ve heard or what you’ve done. Jesus sees you as perfect and good because he has actually made you this way. He doesn’t call you a masterpiece just to make you feel good. He calls you a masterpiece because that’s who you are. And God is no liar. So you don’t need to fix or improve yourself.

Instead, learn who you are and start being yourself.

Our job is not to fix our behavior or fix the sin we struggle with. Instead, we’re called to live from our identity and trust Jesus. The fruit of trusting Jesus and living from who we are in Him is that our behavior begins to reflect who we are, and the sin we most struggle with begins to lose power.
We may be acting and living one way, but no matter what, we’re still God’s masterpiece.

Think about the caterpillar and the butterfly. If you were to look on the inside of the caterpillar, it would have the same makeup as a butterfly. It looks like something it’s not. Its core identity is a butterfly, and one day it will outwardly exhibit what’s true on the inside. The same is true of us.

Masterpiece is our core identity, and God is revealing to us who we are on the inside and inviting us to live from that reality.The behavior and actions will display naturally when we live from who we are.

You’re special to God. His favorite. He loves living in you. He thinks you’re His best creation. God could have chosen to live anywhere else, but He chose to live in you.

Hearing God’s Opinion
“Do you know how valuable you are? I gave My life to you because that’s how much you’re worth to Me. You’re My most valued treasure. There’s nothing about you that’s bad. I’m not trying to change you. I already did that at salvation. My goal for you is to realize who I’ve made you. I love how you look, and I love who you are. You are My masterpiece.”

"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 2:10 NLT

2 Sandra Blakesley, “How You See Yourself: Potential for Big Problems,” The New York Times, February 7, 1991, https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/07/news/how-you-see-yourself-potential- for-big-problems.html