How do I know? Because God says so. “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) You may not feel like it at the moment. You may look at your life and see yourself as someone whose life is out of balance, headed in the wrong direction, or even a complete failure. Or perhaps you have a sense of agreement with being a masterpiece, not so much because you truly believe it, but know it’s at least the right thing to believe. Perhaps you’re like the Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley, looking in the mirror and trying to convince yourself, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and, doggone it, people like me!” Wherever you are, it’s tiring trying to recognize your own priceless value when you don’t feel it inside or see it in your life.
The Artist
If I asked you to describe a masterpiece painting, the first thing that likely comes to mind is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. What makes the Mona Lisa a masterpiece? It’s certainly not the subject matter. There have been millions of portraits of beautiful women painted throughout the centuries that would never be considered masterpieces. Did da Vinci have some secret paint or brushes that no other artists knew existed? Actually, the material available to every art student today is much more advanced than what was available to da Vinci and his peers. Fact is, the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece because of da Vinci’s extraordinary skill and intellect.
The Key
It’s not about your extraordinary skill, intellect, or lack of both. Nothing can change the fact that you’re already created as a masterpiece. Nothing you think or do can undo that truth. Why? You’re not the creator of the masterpiece to begin with. You’re not the artist. God is. You’re a masterpiece because God, as the artist, created you as His masterpiece.
Mark Your Calendars:
I will be speaking on this subject live this weekend (October 24th & 25th) and invite you to join me at: www.alivechurch.com, Saturday at 5:00 p.m., Sunday at 9:30 or 11:00 a.m. This blog post is adapted from the book Life Palette.