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“I’m just a mess.” -Us
“You are my masterpiece.” -God (read Gen. 1:31; Ps. 139:13–18; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10)
I recently returned to the place online where I asked the question, “What lies are women tempted to believe about who we are?” As I scrolled back through the answers, I saw all over again how many expressed, “I’m just a mess.” In other words, I can’t possibly be amazing. And yes, none of us are perfect. We “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). But that is only part of our story—and Jesus has already rewritten it.
We reflect the image of God. We are beings with souls. We have hearts full of hopes and desires. God has placed invisible gifts within each of us. And when we give ourselves to Jesus, we are mysteriously created all over again. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17).
We are not a factory-assembled product. “We are God’s masterpiece” (Eph. 2:10).
I once helped facilitate a creative retreat for a group of women. I shared encouragement, and other instructors guided the group in art journaling as a response. Here’s what I learned: those journals were messy, but they were not a mess. They were full of wild loveliness, vivid declarations, and passionate displays of hearts laid open.
In many ways, we are God’s art journal. We are the expression of His love on history’s pages. Is it a neat, practical process? Absolutely not. Just think back over the biblical women we’ve learned about together the past few weeks. So many struggles. So much pain. But also so much strength. So much beauty.
The women at the retreat often offered disclaimers. “It’s not really what I want it to be,” they’d say. “Hers is better than mine,” they’d protest. Some of that came from insecurity, but it also seemed to stem from a fear of being prideful.
Don’t we do the same? Thankfully, David took care of that concern: “I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way” (Ps. 139:14). As I’ve said before, recognizing what’s true about who we are leads to praise, not to pride.
I chose the word amazing for my new devotional because the definition is “causing great wonder.” It’s the response our souls have to the creations of an astonishing artist.
As long as we are in this world, we will encounter lies. They will try to erase our faith and cover our identities. But we have this promise: God who “began a good work within you will continue his work until it is finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Phil. 1:6 NLT).
My prayer is that seeing the truth about who we are and who God is fills us with new wonder and worship–today and for all of eternity.
XOXO,
Holley
P.S. This post is an excerpt from my new devotional, Do You Know You’re Already Amazing?. Inside the devotional are thirty truths from God’s Word, and each one will help set your heart free to become all God created you to be. If you’re looking for practical application, personal transformation, and encouragement along the way — this book is for you, friend.
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