Monday Morning Memo: Ta Da!

I’m sure you are all familiar with the song we sung as we were growing up:

Jesus loves the little children

All the children in the world

Red and yellow black and white

They are precious in His sight

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

 

It’s hard for me, as an adult, to think of myself as being “precious” to God.  That word was for when I was young and much more innocent.   But in studying the Bible, I came across two verses which jumped off the page at me.   Psalm 72:14 (NLT) reads, “He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.”  Isaiah 43:4 (NLT) says “Others were given in exchange for you.  I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me.  You are honored, and I love you.”

 

Me?  Precious?  With all my faults and failures?  Yep, His book doesn’t lie.  And yes, YOU are precious to Him too.  It doesn’t matter what your past has been like, how many times you have made the wrong decision, or how inept you may feel at living your life for Him.  God loves you more than you can even fathom and YOU are precious in His sight.

 

Do you know what else I found out?  Not only are you and I precious to God, we are His masterpiece!  Isn’t that amazing?  I don’t know about you, but most of the time I don’t feel worthy of being called “precious” and I sure don’t feel like a masterpiece.  But I am and so are you.  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

 

If you are like me, you are your own worst critic.  Often wishing you had done something just a little better, wondering why you can’t do things as well as that person you work with, or questioning why in the world your parenting skills often look like a comedy routine.  I’m going to share advice with you that I felt God sharing with me: Ease up on yourself.  Quit knocking yourself down as if you have no worth.  Trust me.  When God made you…He said Ta-Da!  Why?  Because you are His precious masterpiece and He doesn’t make no junk!