فصل 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

I AM A MASTERPIECE

See Yourself as a Masterpiece

Too many people go around feeling wrong on the inside. They don’t really like who they are. They think, If I were just a little taller, if I had a better personality, if my metabolism were a little faster… Or, If I just looked like her, I would feel good about myself.

But when God created you, He went to great lengths to make you exactly as He wanted. You didn’t accidentally get your personality. You didn’t just happen to get your height, your looks, your skin color, or your gifts. God designed you on purpose to be the way you are. You have what you need to fulfill your destiny. If you needed to be taller, God would have made you taller. If you needed to be a different nationality, God would have made you that way. If you needed to look like her instead of you, you would have looked like her. You have to be confident in who God made you to be.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s masterpiece.” That means you are not ordinary. You didn’t come off an assembly line. You weren’t mass-produced. You are one of a kind. Nobody in this world has your fingerprints. There will never be another you. If you’re going to reach your highest potential, you have to see yourself as unique, as an original, as God’s very own masterpiece.

When I was in my early twenties, I was sitting by myself on the beach in India watching the sunset. It was a magnificent scene. The water was so blue. As far as I could see from the right to the left, there were miles and miles of beach and palm trees. The sun was huge on the horizon, just about to set. As I sat there reflecting, thinking about my life, I heard God ask me something—not out loud but just an impression down inside. He said, “Joel, you think this is a beautiful picture, do you?” I replied, “Yes, God. I think this is a magnificent picture.”

“Well,” He asked, “what do you think would be My most prized painting, My most incredible creation?”

I thought about it a moment and answered, “God, it must be this sunset. This is breathtaking.”

“No, it’s not this.”

Earlier that year I had been in the Rocky Mountains. They were spectacular. I continued, “God, I bet it’s the Rocky Mountains.”

“No, not that.”

I wondered out loud, “What could it be? The solar system? The Milky Way?”

He responded, “No, Joel. My most prized possession, the painting that I’m the most proud of, is you.”

I thought, Me? It couldn’t be me. I’m ordinary. I’m just like everybody else.

He said, “You don’t understand. When I made the solar system, the waters, and the mountains, I was proud of that. That was great. But Joel, when I made you, I breathed My very life into you. I created you in My own image.” You Are God’s Most Prized Possession

Friend, you are God’s most prized possession. Don’t go around feeling wrong about yourself. Quit wishing you were taller, or had a better personality, or looked like somebody else. You’ve been painted by the most incredible painter there could ever be. When God created you, He stepped back and looked and said, “That was good. Another masterpiece!” He stamped His approval on you.

On the inside of our shirts there’s usually a tag that reads, “Made in America” or some other country. Well, somewhere on you, there’s a tag that states, “Made by Almighty God.” So put your shoulders back and hold your head up high. You are extremely valuable. When those thoughts come telling you everything that you’re not, remind yourself, “I have the fingerprints of God all over me—the way I look, the way I smile, my gifts, my personality. I know I am not average. I am a masterpiece.” Those are the thoughts that should be playing in your mind all day long. Not I am slow. I am unattractive. I am just one of the seven billion people on Earth. No, God did not make anything average. If you have breath to breathe, you are a masterpiece.

Now, people may try to make you feel average. Your own thoughts may try to convince you that you are ordinary. Life will try to push you down and steal your sense of value. That’s why all through the day you have to remind yourself of who your Painter is. When you dwell on the fact that Almighty God breathed His life into you and approved you, equipped you, and empowered you, then any thoughts of low self-esteem and inferiority don’t have a chance.

A few years ago I was in somebody’s home. They had many paintings on the walls, which weren’t very impressive to me. In fact, some of them looked as if they had been painted by a child—very abstract, modern, paint thrown here and there. But later that evening, they mentioned how they had paid more than a million dollars for just one of those paintings. I looked at it again and thought, Wow! That is beautiful, isn’t it?

Come to find out, it was an original Pablo Picasso. What dawned on me that night was that it’s not so much what the painting looks like. It’s who the painter is. The painting gets its value from its creator. In the same way, our value doesn’t come from how we look or what we do or who we know. Our value comes from the fact that Almighty God is our Painter. So don’t criticize what God has painted. Accept yourself. Approve yourself. You are not an accident. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made.

I wonder what would happen if all through the day, instead of putting ourselves down, instead of dwelling on the negative, we would go around thinking, I am a masterpiece. I am wonderfully made. I am talented. I am an original. I have everything that I need. The enemy doesn’t want you to feel good about yourself. He would love for you to go through life listening to the nagging voices that remind you of everything that you are not. I dare you to get up each day and say, “Good morning, you wonderful thing!” You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

How many of us are bold enough to say as David did in Psalm 139, “I am amazing. I am a masterpiece.” Those thoughts never enter into most people’s minds. They’re too busy putting themselves down, focusing on their flaws, comparing themselves to others whom they think are better. Your Painter, your Creator, says, “You’re amazing. You’re wonderful. You’re a masterpiece.” Now it’s up to you to get in agreement with God. If you go around focused on your flaws, listening to what other people are saying, you can miss your destiny. The recording that should be playing in our mind all day long is, “I am valuable. I am a masterpiece. I am a child of the Most High God.” Could it be this is what’s holding you back? Your recording is negative. There are enough people in life already against you. Don’t be against yourself. Change your recording. Start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created you to be.

Realize What You Have

I read a story about a man who died in extreme poverty. At one point, he was homeless, living on the streets, and barely getting by in life. After the funeral, some of his relatives went to his run-down apartment and gathered up his belongings. He had a painting on the wall, which they sold at a garage sale. The person who bought the painting took it to the local art gallery to learn more about it. They discovered it had been painted back in the 1800s by a famous artist and was extremely valuable. It ended up selling at an auction for more than three million dollars. That man lived his whole life in poverty because he didn’t realize what he had.

In the same way, every one of us has been painted by the most famous Artist there could ever be. But if you don’t understand your value, you go around thinking, I’m just average. I’m not that talented. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life. If you let that negative recording play, you’re just like the man with the painting—you have everything you need and you’re full of potential, but you’ll never tap into it. That’s why every morning you need to remind yourself, “I am not average. I am not ordinary. I have the fingerprints of God all over me. I am a masterpiece.” There was an article in a medical magazine that talked about how researchers had scientifically calculated how much money the human body is worth. They added up the cost of all the enzymes, cells, tissues, organs, hormones; everything contained in the body. They concluded that an average-sized person is worth six million dollars. You’ve heard of the “Six Million Dollar Man.” Well, you are a Six Million Dollar Person. You can put your shoulders back. You can have a spring in your step. Your Heavenly Father has invested six million dollars in you. The good news is you didn’t even have to pay taxes on it!

Think of this: Six million dollars is the worth of an average-sized person. You may be worth nine million dollars! That’s the way to look at it. You’re not overweight. You’re just more valuable.

Be Proud of Who God Made You to Be

Jesus said to love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you don’t love yourself in a healthy way, you will never be able to love others in the way that you should. This is why some people don’t have good relationships. If you don’t get along with yourself, you’ll never get along with others. We all have weaknesses, shortcomings, things that we wish were different. But God never designed us to go through life being against our self. The opinion you have of yourself is the most important opinion that you have. If you see yourself as less than, not talented, not valuable, you will become exactly that. You are constantly conveying what you feel on the inside. Even subconsciously, you’re sending messages out. If you feel unattractive on the inside, you can be the most beautiful person in the world, but you will convey feelings of unattractiveness. That’s going to push people away. The problem is inside. You carry yourself the way you see yourself.

I’ve seen just the opposite happen. A few years ago I met a young lady who, on the surface, and I say this respectfully, wasn’t necessarily attractive. She didn’t have a lot of what today’s culture defines as natural beauty, but I can tell you that inside she had it going on! She knew she was made in the image of Almighty God. She knew she was crowned with favor. She may have looked ordinary, but she thought extraordinary. She carried herself like a queen and walked like she was royalty. She smiled like she was Miss America and dressed like she was headed for the runway. She may have bought her outfit at a secondhand store, but she wore it as though it were brand-new from Saks Fifth Avenue. All I could say was, “You go, girl!” What was the difference? On the inside she saw herself as beautiful, strong, talented, and valuable. What’s on the inside will eventually show up on the outside. Because she saw herself as a masterpiece, she exuded strength, beauty, and confidence.

Here’s a key: People see you the way you see yourself. If you see yourself as strong, talented, and valuable, that’s the way other people will see you. That’s the messages you’re sending out. But if you see yourself as less than, not talented, and not valuable, that’s the way others will see you. Perhaps if you would change the opinion you have of yourself, if you would quit focusing on your flaws and everything you wish was different, if you would quit comparing yourself to somebody else who you think is better and start loving yourself in a healthy way, being proud of who God made you to be, then as you send out these different messages, it’s going to bring new opportunities, new relationships, and new levels of God’s favor.

This is what the Israelites did. When ten of the spies came back from the Promised Land, they saw how huge their opponents were. They said to Moses, “We were in our own sights as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sights.” Notice they didn’t say, “Moses, those people insulted us. They called us grasshoppers.” They went in with a grasshopper mentality. They said, “We were in our own sights as grasshoppers.” That’s what they conveyed. Here’s the principle at work: “And so we were in their sights.” In other words, “They saw us the way we saw ourselves.” If you project feelings of inferiority, people will treat you as inferior. You may feel that you have a disadvantage similar to the Israelites. You don’t have the size, the talent, or the education. That’s all right. All that matters is Almighty God breathed His life into you. He created you as a person of destiny. He put seeds of greatness inside you. Now do your part. Start seeing yourself as the masterpiece God created you to be.

You Are Royalty

The Scripture talks about how God has made us to be kings and priests unto Him. Men, you need to start seeing yourself as a king. Women, start seeing yourself as a queen. Start carrying yourself as royalty. Not with arrogance, thinking that you’re better than others, but in humility be proud of who God made you to be. You are not better than anyone else, but you are not less than anyone else either. It doesn’t matter how many degrees they have. It doesn’t matter how important their family is. Understand, your Father created the whole universe. When He breathed His life into you and sent you to planet Earth, you didn’t come as ordinary. You didn’t come as average. He put a crown of honor on your head. Now, start thinking as royalty, talking as royalty, walking as royalty, and acting as royalty.

I was in England a few years ago. They were having a ceremony to honor the queen. When the queen walked in the room, you could feel the strength, the confidence, and the dignity. She had her head held high and a pleasant smile on her face. She waved to everyone as though they were her best friends. What was interesting was that there were all kinds of important people in that room. There were presidents of other nations, world-renowned entertainers, famous athletes, scientists, and some of the brightest, most talented people in the world. But—and I say this respectfully—the queen was not the most beautiful person in the room. There were other ladies who were younger and much more beautiful, but judging from the way the queen carried herself, you would have thought she was the cat’s meow. She had it going on—strong, confident, secure. The queen wasn’t the wealthiest, fittest, or most educated woman in the room either. A lot of people would have been intimidated walking into that room, but not her. She walked in as though she owned the place. Why? She knows who she is. She’s the queen. She comes from a long line of royalty. It’s been ingrained in her thinking, I’m not average. I’m not ordinary. I am one of a kind.

No doubt some mornings when the queen wakes up, the same thoughts come to her mind that come to all of us. You’re not as beautiful as your sister. You’re not as talented as your brother. You’re not as smart as your coworker. Be intimidated. You’re inferior. The queen lets that go in one ear and out the other. She thinks, What are you talking about? It doesn’t matter how I compare to others. I’m the queen. I’ve got royalty in my blood. In my DNA is generations of influence, honor, and prestige.

If you and I could ever start seeing ourselves as the kings and the queens God made us to be, we would never be intimidated again. You don’t have to be the most talented to feel good about yourself. You don’t have to be the most educated or the most successful. When you understand your Heavenly Father breathed His life into you, you too come from a long line of royalty. Instead of being intimidated or made to feel insecure by someone who you think is more important, you can do like the queen. Just be at ease, be kind, be confident, and be friendly, knowing that you are one of a kind. Ladies, you may not be the most beautiful person, but be confident you’re the queen. Men, you may not be the most successful, but stand up tall. You’re the king. You are crowned not by people but by Almighty God.

But a lot of times we think, I can’t feel good about myself. I’ve got this addiction. I struggle with a bad temper. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life. I don’t feel like a masterpiece. Here’s the key: Your value is not based on your performance. You don’t have to do enough good and then maybe God will approve you. God has already approved you.

Dare to Believe You Are Excellent

When Jesus was being baptized by John in the Jordan River, He hadn’t started His ministry yet. He had never opened one blind eye, never raised the dead, never turned water into wine. He had not performed a single miracle. But a voice boomed out of the heavens, and God said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” His Father was pleased with Him because of who He was and not because of anything He had or had not done.

We tell ourselves, “If I could break this addiction, I’d feel good about myself. If I could read my Bible more, if I could bite my tongue and not argue so much, maybe I wouldn’t be against myself.” You have to learn to accept yourself while you’re in the process of changing. We all have areas we need to improve, but we’re not supposed to go around down on ourselves because we haven’t arrived. When you’re against yourself, it doesn’t help you to do better. It makes you do worse. You may have a bad habit you know you need to overcome, but if you go around feeling guilty and condemned, thinking about all the times you’ve failed, the times you’ve blown it, that will not motivate you to go forward. You have to shake off the guilt. Shake off the condemnation. You may not be where you want to be, but you can look back and thank God you’re not where you used to be. You’re growing. You’re making progress. Do yourself a big favor and quit listening to the accusing voices. That’s the enemy trying to convince you to be against yourself. He knows that if you don’t like yourself, you will never become who God created you to be.

In Genesis 1, God had just created the heavens, the earth, the sea, the animals, and Adam and Eve. When He finished, the Scripture says, “God looked over all that He had made and saw how it was excellent in every way.” When God looks at you, He says, “You are excellent in every way.” You may think, Not me, I’ve got these bad habits, these shortcomings. I’ve made some mistakes in the past. Get out of that defeated mentality. You may not be perfect, but God is not basing your value on your performance. He’s looking at your heart. He is looking at the fact that you’re trying. You wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t have a heart to please God. Now, quit being down on yourself. Quit living condemned, and dare to believe you are excellent in every way. Our attitude should be, Yes, I may make some mistakes. I have some flaws and weaknesses, but I am not going to live my life guilty, condemned. I know God has already approved me. I am excellent in every way. I am His masterpiece.

If you’re going to overcome your flaws and weaknesses, you have to not only stay positive toward yourself, but be bold enough to celebrate who God made you to be. Be proud of who you are. I know people who are good at celebrating others. They’ll compliment their friends and brag on a cousin. “You have to see my neighbor. He’s an awesome football player. You must meet my sister. She is so beautiful.” And that’s good. We should celebrate others, but make sure you also celebrate yourself. You are smart. You are talented. You are beautiful. There is something special about you. You can’t get so caught up in celebrating others, putting them on a pedestal, to where you think, They are so great, and I am so average. She is so beautiful, and I am so plain.

They may have more natural beauty or more talent in some area, but God didn’t leave anybody out. You have something that they don’t have. You’re good at something that they’re not good at. And it’s fine to celebrate them and say, “Wow! Look how great they are,” as long as you follow it up by saying internally, “And you know what? I’m great, too. I’m smart, too. I’m talented, too.” One of a Kind

It’s like this story I heard about the mayor of a small town. He was in a parade, riding in a float down Main Street with his wife next to him. While he was waving to all the different people, he spotted in the crowd his wife’s former boyfriend, who owned and ran the local gas station. The mayor whispered to his wife, “Aren’t you glad you didn’t marry him? You’d be working at a gas station.” She whispered back, “No. If I would’ve married him, he’d be the mayor.”

You have to know who you are. God breathed His life into you. You have royalty in your blood. You are excellent in every way. Now, put your shoulders back, hold your head up high, and start carrying yourself as royalty. You are not average. You are not ordinary. You are a masterpiece. Get up every morning and remind yourself of who your Painter is. Your value doesn’t come because of who you are. It comes because of whose you are. Remember, the most important opinion is the opinion you have of yourself. How you see yourself is how other people are going to see you. I’m asking you today to see yourself as a king. See yourself as a queen. Not arrogantly but in humility, for that is truly who you are.

Maybe you need to change the recording that’s playing in your mind. If the message is, I’m slow. I’m unattractive. I’m nothing special, dare to say, like David, “I am amazing. I am talented. I am one of a kind. I am a masterpiece.”