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PROGRAM D-7970
It took me far-too-long to accept and appreciate the way God created me. For many years I thought that my personality was not appropriate for a Christian woman, and I felt guilty about it. However, I really couldn’t change it, though I tried.
When we live like that, we not only fail to appreciate God’s creativity in us, but we also open ourselves up to envying others, being jealous of them, and to discontentment. When I finally began to learn the truth which set me free from this wrong thinking—and this truth is that I am God’s creation, his workmanship, and his masterpiece, and that I am created in his image for his purposes—I can honestly say that now I’m perfectly happy with how God chose to create me. I no longer live in that place of guilt and lack of contentment.
Of course, God isn’t finished with me yet. Yes, I am his canvas and he’s painting his picture in and through me, but there are still areas that need improvement. He’s polishing my rough edges and helping me grow more like Jesus—which is his purpose for me. However, I don’t want to be anyone else any longer. I no longer feel disappointed in how God chose to create me, but the opposite: I feel appreciation for his creativity in me!
Are you at that place yet? Oh, I hope so, because when you are, you are free from yourself! It sets you free to appreciate who you are, and then you can forget yourself and think about others. You can reach out to others with God’s love and care, knowing you are secure in Christ and he is alive and at work in your life. Knowing that you are God’s canvas and he’s a master artist really frees you from being self-focused. It’s an amazing thing that happens, as you no longer have to think about yourself, compare yourself to others, degrade yourself, or cover-up yourself! You can be free from yourself—and that is really great freedom!
I pray you will know this freedom of who you are, so you too can live in a place of contentment and become more focused on others and less focused on yourself. This is the abundant life Jesus came to give you!