“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
~Psalm 139:14
When I was a teen, I used to look in the mirror and wish for a different nose, a cute little nose. Or little ears. My hair was frizzy and thin, so I often wished for thick, wavy, cascading hair that just looked good all the time. I spent hours feeling bad that God made my nose the way He did. I wondered why God made me so ugly.
Now that I have teenaged girls, I will sometimes hear them say things like that and it makes me sad. There has always been an ideal way to look throughout history. Women have always wished they had longer eyelashes, or a prettier body. People are not happy with the way God made them.
God does not make junk.
Everything God makes is beautiful—He is the most amazing artist!
When I was in college studying art, I would paint pictures. People would come around my painting and praise them. They would tell me how beautiful they were. I did not make junk. When I created these paintings, I put every piece of my heart into them. I wanted each one to be a masterpiece work of art—each unique. It was a glory to me when others appreciated their beauty.
A very wise follower of Christ, after hearing me insult my own appearance, turned to one of my paintings and told me how ugly it was. I was so offended at the time. I spent many hours creating it, making sure each element was in its proper place, the colors were balanced, and the proportions were perfect. How could it be UGLY? After I had enough time to feel the pain of rejection, the Christian told me that I was God’s masterpiece.
I was God’s masterpiece?
I learned a great lesson that day…He knit me in my mother’s womb. I was fearfully and wonderfully made. He spent 9 months forming me into what He thought was beautiful. Everything God creates is a marvelous thing. It was an insult upon God’s creation when I looked into my reflection of the mirror and despised what I saw.
Surgically Altering God’s Creation:
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
~1 Corinthians 6:19
vandalizing God’s Creation:
“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead,
nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.”
~Leviticus 19:28
Instead I teach my daughters to look into the mirror each day and compliment God for His creativity and realize that they are His masterpiece. I teach them to look clean and presentable, maybe an extra touch to enhance the beauty, like a pretty outfit, or a nice style of hair. Everything done in a very natural, soft, and modest way.
I am not saying it is wrong to put a touch of makeup on. My grandma always said, “Every old barn needs a coat of fresh paint.” Sounds cute and funny, but it is all about moderation and balance. You can spruce yourself up without altering your appearance. I like to think of it as bringing out the beauty God already created. Looking nice and clean is also a good witness. And it is nice for our husbands to see us looking our best.
You are God’s masterpiece. You are beautiful and unique.
1 thought on “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”
This is so needed for especially fot the younh girls who are dissatisfied with their bodies