Do you know just how special you are? Do you understand the level of detail involved in your making? You Are Custom – One Of A Kind. Similar to how there’d always be a heavy pricetag on custom jewelry at your jewelry store, the value you carry is immense. Difference is, you are priceless, meaning that there is no monetary value that can account for the beauty that is you. No, really think about it.. your “odd” laugh, your one of a kind aura, your sense of humour, your temperament and drive, your personality, your little quirks… People may have similar, but there is none exactly like you. Not a single one, and that in itself says a lot.
Even if you disregarded all of that, the mere fact that you were carefully crafted by the maker of the entire universe??? Come on now, you and I know that the brand of an item has a lot to do with its value. You are a Yah-Original. If nothing else, that counts for everything. Every ounce of low self-esteem should dissipate at this understanding. So should every iota of pride. There is a humble appreciation for who you are as a result of who made you that should rise up in you. You are branded by Jesus, and Yahweh is your daddy. What privilege and access! He knows the numbers of hairs on your head. He knows the exact pitch of your laugh. He knows your natural bearings and inclinations. He knows all of it because He made you. I pray today that you see you. May the Lord open your eyes to the beauty He deposited and invested in crafting you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
I know it sounds like I just came on here to give you a confidence boost, and while I pray and hope that this post does just that, it runs way deeper. So much deeper. I’ll give you just a few reasons why this is key in today’s post and I pray that it not only blesses you, but that the Lord uses it to kickstart, or further the emergence of the real you – The ‘You’ that He is waiting on, and the ‘You’ the world needs though they may not even know it. In Jesus’ Mighty name. Amen. Okay, let’s get into it.
I’ve always been the person that disliked the term ‘self love’. I just didn’t subscribe to it, but I recognize that was because of a skewed narrative and definition of it. True “self-love” is a beautiful God-honoring thing, but what is often portrayed is far from that. So, let’s talk about self-love for a minute, the kind that is Biblical and actually glorifies God. There is a scripture in the Bible that redefined my perception of self-love as a Christian. We could learn a thing or two from David on this topic. It reads;
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” – Ps 139:13-14
This verse suddenly opened up to me in a new way on a random day. Was David actually complimenting himself??? The man who God Himself called a ‘man after His heart’ essentially called himself marvelous? Well then, I had to sit and take some notes. I came to the realization, fully with the help of the Holy Spirit, that any accreditation David acknowledged was not without glorifying the One who made Him – God. David didn’t shrug off his uniqueness and complexity, he acknowledged it and gave glory to the Creator.
Thinking about it in real time, I realize that this was not the first time David exemplified this. The popular story of David and Goliath clearly records him acknowledging that He came “in the name of the Lord” (1 Sam 17:45). He gave all credit to God even before the victory had materialized. Even when he volunteered to fight Goliath before Saul, he didn’t despise his strengths or skills. He fully acknowledged that he had fought with lions and bears and conquered, but he was very careful to highlight that his deliverance had always been by the hand of the Lord. (1 Sam 17:37).
David understood that all that he was, and all that he had accomplished was a function of the God who made and helped him. And so, if God is responsible for all that you are and all that you do, how dare you downplay his handiwork?! You are a masterpiece cause God doesn’t slip! You need to stop shrugging it off when people see the God in you. Instead of solely seeing it as a function of your ‘greatness'(cause this is where people on the other side of the spectrum often miss it), see it as a function of God’s greatness. Acknowledge the beauty that people see and be quick to let them know: ‘God Did That‘.
Both of these things are super important because as much as God doesn’t want you dismissing, underrating or devaluing His creation, He doesn’t want you out here absorbing His glory either. Paul lets us know in Eph 2:10 that we our God’s masterpiece! Masterpiece friend. And there are other people in the scripture who modelled what it looks like to quickly give God the glory and not absorb the praises of men. A few examples are Peter(Acts 3:12), Paul (Acts 14:15) and Joseph (Gen 41:16).
I’m not saying this to scare you, but a healthy fear of God preserves life(Prov 19:23), so let me say this: There is an example of a man named Herod in the bible who the angel of the Lord struck with sickness because he accepted the people’s worship, and His death was quite gruesome(Acts 12:23). I am most definitely not implying that this would happen to you if you absorb worship, but I point that out to show the criticality of this subject. God doesn’t play about His glory and He is merciful to give us examples to learn from. It goes to show just how important it is that we do not absorb praise, but rather, are careful to give God the glory. King Solomon, a man full of wisdom said that a person is tested by praise. How you respond to praise matters.
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold [to separate the impurities of the metal]
And each is tested by the praise given to him [and his response to it, whether humble or proud].
– Prov 27:21
Now let’s talk about the ‘glory’ part. (Y’all, I ain’t even gonna hold you, this blog post is much longer than I thought it’d be. This is what I thought we’d start with, but we’re here multiple paragraphs later. So if you’re not a reader, please leverage the audio option cause this word is needed. Plus, I will be putting up a podcast on this to allow us go deeper, so look out for that. You can subscribe on your fav pod platform here).
Okay! Gloryyy! Do you know that there is a glory to be expressed through you? God, being the artist that He is, has poured His creativity into a range of artworks; you and I. Every piece tells a story, and every piece gives can give Him glory because it reveals another expression of Himself and His creativity. So when you hide your authentic self, you rob God of glory because you are hiding His art. And His art, my dear friend, deserves to be seen so that men can inquire about the artist. This is why it is also important that though you do not absorb the praises of men, you do not deflect them either. You must acknowledge and redirect, give God the praise that He is worthy of.
The truth is that for most of my life, I have deflected compliments to myself, sometimes even from myself, for one of two reasons – A ‘false’ humility (I certainly didn’t know it was false at the time) or low-self esteem which could also be referred to as unbelief. I say that because my lack of belief in the wonderful thing you may have said about me or my work would cause me to deflect it( a subtle form of rejection). I would deflect because I was convinced it was a lie. Now, I put myself on blast cause this is my blog page, but many of us have done this and can identify with these scars. When it comes to “false humility” , that is equally as popular especially in Christian circles. For some reason, people think that giving God glory requires you to completely erase and disregard yourself… but how can you do that when you were created for His glory?
Understand this : What you do is by virtue of Who you are and Who you are is a virtue of Whose you are. In other words, the works of your hands and who you are should be a reference point for whose you are – ABBA’s. Some people will only come to know God when they see Him expressed through you. So you my friend, in all your uniqueness, are very much needed. The idea is acknowledge(not deflect) and redirect the glory.
What you do is by virtue of Who you are, and Who you are is a virtue of Whose you are.
In other words, the works of your hands and who you are should be a reference point for whose you are – ABBA’s
There is often this warped idea many believers have that appreciating, recognizing and vocalizing the beauty that you see in yourself is arrogance. On the other hand, there are people far on the other side of the spectrum that interpret self-love selfishly and therefore, inaccurately… it’s all about them, and what they can do, and how great they are, with zero connection to their source. I believe that in an attempt to “stay humble”, people in the first category have disregarded and downplayed their worth, while people in the latter category have committed to using self-indulgence and self-glorification as a means to attempt to overcome insecurity and low self-esteem. The problem is, neither of these approaches do our creator any justice. Instead, both of those approaches expose personal issues like timidity, pride, low self-esteem, etc. They attempt to dissolve with their response but it’s a continuous never ending bandaid response to a deep cut. Every praise you get is an opportunity for you to exalt God.
Every praise you get is an opportunity for you to exalt God.
There is much else to say, but all blog posts must come to an end so I’ll wrap up here. Being your authentic self is needed. Now, I need you to understand that I’m not talking about sinful desires, or natural inclinations or habits that dishonor, displease and rebel against God. Absolutely not. You must bring all of you into submission to God first and foremost. But I’m talking about the parts of you that God in His wisdom has used as a differentiator to His glory. The quirks and packaging that He designed you with to stand out and make Him known in a unique way. The birds aren’t hiding and neither are the clouds, they all tell a story of our Father, so should you.
A critical issue you need to address before you’re able to work this out is that of ‘identity crisis’. If you struggle with this, know that to be able to properly respond to compliments amongst much more vital things, you need to be have an understanding of your identity. This revelation can change everything. I’ve linked a podcast episode video that addresses with that here. It’s Ep 7 in case you decide to listen on an audio platform, and it’s titled “Who are You Really?”
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” -Ps 19:1-4
If you somehow made it to the end of this post, thank you. I hope it blessed you. It’s time to stop hiding and shine for the glory of God.
I love you. And God loves you immensely, immeasurably, infinitely more 🤍
Catch you in the next blog post 💕
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