You are God's Very Good Idea!

I’d love to share some of the things God has given me

over the years. Try to challenge your inner Julie Andrews for

a moment and let’s start at the very beginning. A very fine

place to start. (You sang that as you read it, didn’t you? No

judgment. I was singing when I typed it!)

You were created in the image of God. You may have

heard that more times than you can count or it might be

you’re reading those words for the first time. Either way, let

them sink in. You were created in the image of God. What

thoughts or emotions come to your mind when you read

that?

This one point was a game-changer for me. It means that

because you are made in the likeness of God, you possess

inherent worth and dignity. See? You are worthy simply

because you’re a creation of God. You are valuable because

God made you. Genesis 1:27 is clear. Not only were you

created by the hands of the intentional God, He chose to

make you. You were His idea. And He declared His idea was

very good.

Oh yeah you are!

You are probably familiar with John 3:16. Whether you

memorized it as a child or have seen it in sports stadiums

across the U.S., the truth is the same. God loved the world

so much that He gave His one and only Son so that everyone

who believes in Him will have eternal life in His presence.

Wanna’ know how much you’re worth? So much that Jesus

died for you. Seriously! For you! Would He endure violent

beatings and an incomprehensible death on a cross if you

weren’t worth it to Him? The Creator always protects His

very good idea because He sees your value and knows your

worth.

You have a purpose. If you are still inhaling and exhaling,

you have a purpose. That makes you valuable. Ephesians

2:10 from The Passion Translation says, “We have become

His poetry, a recreated people that will fulfill the destiny He

has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed

One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our

destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!” Come

on, now!

Do you know that when you mess up, God does not love

you less? Do you know that when you do something fabulous,

God does not love you more? Right now, this very moment,

whatever is going on in your life, you have all of the love of

God. Truly, all of it. Your value is not diminished in God’s

eyes. Wanna’ know why? Ephesians 2:8-9, that’s why. “For

it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed

in Him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for

it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ.

So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a

reward for good works or human striving.” All together now,

breathe a huge sigh of relief!

How can God do this, you ask? One word. Forgiveness.

The verse in 1 John 1:9 has got to be one of the most

encouraging verses in Scripture: “But if we freely admit

our sins when His light uncovers them, He will be faithful

to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins

because of Christ, and He will continue to cleanse us from

all unrighteousness.”

Recognizing who you are in Jesus is a journey. The more

you communicate with Him and listen to Him and the more

you read the promises He’s made to you, the easier it becomes

to see yourself as the daughter of the King He intentionally

created you to be.

excerpt from My Roots are Showing: The Twists and Turns of Tamar's Tale

In case no one has told you today, you are loved and appreciated. And now you know.