Greatly Lovedনমুনা

For years I believed the lie that I was not enough, my background was not enough, my family was not enough, and my real story was not enough. I felt like I was too different, and no one understood the real me. So I spent years trying to change who I was to fit into what I presumed was the mold.

Have you ever felt like you need to downplay who you really are, where you’re really from, water down your details, or change who you really are to be accepted and effective in places God has put you?

It turns out that’s what the Enemy hopes we do.

When we answer to the wrong names, we live out the wrong stories. The false stories we believe about ourselves can trap us in the wrong living patterns.

The truth is that it’s your real background, story, and exact details that God wants to use for this exact moment in time.

Of course, the Enemy wants to convince you that your details don’t have value. He can’t risk you discovering who you really are and living out your purpose.

It’s time to unlearn the false narratives and live as who we really are.

For the one who feels unworthy or less than… you are more than you’ve been told. God calls you His Masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).

We are the handiwork of the Artist of the heavens and the earth. When artists create something, they are intentional with the details. Painters choose a particular brush to stroke a blank canvas. Poets select a specific structure to style a certain story. Dancers determine the best move for that one moment in that one song. Photographers and filmmakers search out the best possible frame, lighting, and textures to unearth the full story they intend to tell.

Artists are detailed— dare I say, picky— and take their time to create a piece of work they are proud of. So much more was God’s intentionality when He fashioned us. He chose a certain brush, background, beat, frame, and texture to set your life up well for your good and His glory.

You are a work of art meticulously made to accomplish the good works of God. You are no knock-off brand. You are fine art. You are bougie. You are an original, custom-made by the Creator of all things.

God’s Masterpiece. That’s your name.

For the one who feels ashamed of your body because of what’s been said about it, what you’ve done with it, or what has been done to it… you are more than you’ve been told. You are called the Temple where the Holy Spirit lives (1 Corinthians 6:19).

No human can take away your built-in, God-given, intrinsic value. No matter who took advantage of you, who used their power to hurt you, and no matter what you feel you lost because of your choices, when you give your life to Christ, God’s Word calls your body the place where the Holy Spirit dwells. Your body is good. You have value. You have always had value. People don’t have the power to determine your ultimate worth, which also means they can’t take it away.

You are not defined by what you did or what was done to you.

God’s Temple. That’s your name.

Do not allow the Enemy to distort what God made good, for good things, and to bring Him glory.

Today, invite God into the tender places of your story and ask Him to heal you. Pray that He gives you His lens of your life and your story.