March 24, 2020
You Are Not a Mess
Holley Gerth
Today’s Truth
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).
Friend to Friend
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” (Romans 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 Corinthians 5:17).
We are not a factory-assembled product. We are God’s masterpiece.
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. There are struggles. There is pain. But there's 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” (Psalm 139:14). Recognizing what’s true about who we are leads to praise, not to pride.
I chose the word amazing for my 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” (Philippians 1:6).
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.
Let’s Pray
God, help us see the truth of who we are because of the sacrifice and covering of Jesus. Help us listen to the Truth of Your Word, not the lies of the world.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Write down the Scriptures referenced in today’s post. If you have a dry erase marker, you could even write these on your bathroom mirror to see as you get ready in the morning!
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Holley Gerth is a bestselling author, encourager and life coach who loves empowering women to embrace who they are and become all God created them to be. Her book You're Already Amazing is a Wall Street Journal bestseller that has helped close to 100,000 women embrace who they are and become all they're created to be.
Originally published Tuesday, 24 March 2020.
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