Why Are You Special?

One of my favorite questions to ask my three year old daughter is, “Why are you special?” She enthusiastically replies, “Because God made me!” The best part is when she proceeds to tell me all the parts that He made while pointing to each one. “God made my elbows,” she says, as she proudly points them both at me. “He made my legs,” as her pointer finger dances back and forth between her thighs, “and He made my toes,” as she rips off her socks to wiggle them for me. She knows that God made every part of her body just the way He wanted her to look. He made her so special. Can you cheerfully say the same thing about your body?

In such a visually-driven society it’s easy to get caught up in our appearance. There is nothing wrong with looking good and being healthy, but too often we fall into the comparison trap. We must remember the truth. What is our truth? God’s Word. Period. Not someone’s interpretation of God’s Word or their opinion about your situation, but life’s instruction manual, wholly inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16).

How God sees you

Do you know what God says about you? You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). You are glorious. God knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). After all, He put them there, and colored them too! He knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 13:14) so you can be confident that He knows you inside and out.

But, we try to change ourselves.

It seems silly that we would want to change God’s work. We see it all the time, whether we want to make something bigger or smaller, a different shape or a different color. I am not trying to be critical of these things, because they are not all bad. The key is why. Why do we want to change our appearance?

If it’s to impress your spouse or friends, attract attention, or a hope that you will feel more important, then you are fooling yourself to think that these changes will make you happy. Our happiness can only be found in one place, one person: Jesus Christ. Anything else that you try will fail.

Sadly, our appearance is not the only thing we try to change. We try to be someone we are not either to impress others or to feel better about ourselves. God gifted us all in a special way (1 Corinthians 12). We need to embrace our gifts! Have you ever thought about what you are truly gifted at doing? Perhaps you can paint a beautiful landscape, organize a business conference, run a marathon, or quiet a fussy baby. We were each uniquely designed by God for His pleasure and purpose. Yet, we can spend so much time trying to be someone else.

Your worth is found in Christ alone

Many Christian men, women, and teens significantly struggle with their worth. It might not be the first thing that they think they struggle with, but it can be the root of other issues. Perhaps they are having a hard time dealing with a friend or family member, perhaps they are worried about something at work, or perhaps they are timid about saying what they really think. Why? They are worried about what they say and do because of what others might think.

God did not give us a spirit of timidity. He gave us a spirit of power and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). Do you need to read that again? Strength! Do we need to get up into someone’s face to be strong? Absolutely not, but we do need to know what we stand for.

Romans 14 talks about being firm in our own convictions. There are many differences of opinion in the body of Christ, and as long as we don’t disagree about the black and white issues of our salvation,  we need to learn to accept our differences and build each other up. It’s okay to disagree. It’s not okay to follow along with someone else because you want to fit into that Bible study or that church. God made individuals with their own talents and desires to work together to honor Him.

Remember that only God can fill us up. Only God can judge us (1 Corinthians 4:4). Each of us have the privilege of our own mind. God has given us the power to control our emotions and He holds us accountable for our words and our actions. When another’s words or actions hurt us, we have the option to let them continue to hurt us or let it go. We stand on the truth of God’s Word. When we are honoring God, He will bless us.

Unfortunately, the same is not always true for our family and friends. Even when others offend us, we can still hold our head high, knowing that our worth is found in God Himself. We are sons and daughters of the King! We don’t need to follow anyone else’s agenda. As a matter of fact, God was very clear about this point. In Romans 12, He tells us to present ourselves as pleasing to Him and not be conformed to this world. He actually wants us to stick out! He wants us to be lights for Him and others will not always like that.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

So, why are you special? I encourage you to take a good look at yourself today. Are you too critical of the child that God made? Do you think that He could have done a few things better? Or are you thankful that the Creator of the Universe chose every part of your body, just as He chose where to put each star in the sky?

My parents gave me the gift of understanding why I’m special. They reminded me who made the parts of my body that I questioned, and helped me to find my worth in Christ. So, take another look, maybe this time through His eyes. You are special, so special. Isaiah 43:4 tells us that we are “precious and honored” in His sight. Enjoy who He made on the inside and the outside!

Maybe no one has ever told you this before. Maybe you didn’t hear it from your mom or your dad. You didn’t hear it from your teacher or your coach. You don’t hear it from your spouse, your boyfriend, or your girlfriend. But, hear it now, loud and clear, that the Almighty God says you are special. So, look in the mirror again, and then ask Him to help you live under His grace and protection. God made each one of us truly fabulous!

Editor’s Choice: See yourself as God sees you! Take our Life Lesson on Understanding Beauty

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