‘I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.’ (Psalm 139:14)
Beloved, you are truly unique, beautiful, and wonderful in God’s eyes.
He loves every detail of your life.
All the victories and failures. Every nook and cranny.
He sees all and knows all. Yet He accepts everything about us.
There is now, therefore, no more condemnation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they hid from God.
But through Jesus’ perfect work. We can once again come boldly into His presence.
So come. Come into the courts of our Lord just as you are.
There’s no need to hide. No need to pretend. No need for shame.
For you’re beautiful in God’s eyes, just as you are.
Be Greatly Blessed!
Action Steps:
There is a bird that is renowned for being anything but itself. The lyrebird found in the rainforest areas of Australia is noted for its amazing ability to mimic. Lyrebirds display with great fidelity the individual song of others birds and can also mimic animals such as koalas and dingoes. What is even more incredible is that the lyrebird is capable of imitating almost any sound.
They have been recorded mimicking mobile phones, car engines, gunshots, fire alarms, chainsaws and dogs barking. The list seems exhaustive. However, their own unique call is rarely heard. The lyrebird is a clever imposter with the remarkable talent of fooling others into believing it is what it is not!
It takes courage to be who we really are. In being our true selves we run the risk of rejection or not fitting in. It is natural to want to be accepted and not look out of place. We like to feel part of the crowd, so find ourselves buying the latest gadget, wearing the current fashion and doing whatever it takes to keep up and stay in.
But there is a price to pay. We have lost touch with our true identity. Like the lyrebird, we fall far short of being a true version of ourselves – the precious royal children of God’s family. And so we carry around inside a mimicry of everyone, rather than a true expression of the ‘real me.’
We have made our lives complex by becoming like the complex culture around us – pretending to be who we’re not just so we can fit in. We need to simplify ourselves by becoming singular in purpose and intention – to keep Jesus in the center of our lives. We must go inward and listen to the Spirit, our inner teacher, who reveals the person we were created to be.
There is a freer way to live. A simpler way. A truer way. When we take the inward journey of listening to the Spirit, we will discover a great deception. The lure to live like others is really about living less of ourselves. Less than we were born to be. Less than the Father designed for us.
Each of us can live a richer, deeper, more authentic life. Leaving behind our false selves, we can embrace our own uniqueness. We can accept and love the gift of ‘me.’ We need no longer hide behind the many faces we have portrayed. We are enough, for we are truly fearfully and wonderfully made.
So come to God as you truly are. Worship Him, and let the light of Christ in you shine through.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving me just as I am.
Even though at times, I pretend to be who I’m not.
But you Lord, always accepts me, always loves me, always cares for me, just as I am.
Help me to love myself, just the way I am.
Forgive me for the times I have lived a false version of myself.
Give me the courage to strip away these masks and help me to be real with myself, others and with you.
I come to you boldly, with worship and praise, just as I am.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
AMEN!
