Reflection of Truth: Don’t Be a Copy

“ I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14

How often do you look in the mirror and criticize the reflection? On an average, I truly believe most people do that everyday. But answer this: If Jesus was the reflection, would you criticize it?
We are made in the Lord’s image; His likeness.

Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them.”

Every single person was made special and born with gifts to help the kingdom. How would you feel if you created something, and someone criticized it? I’ve had that happen. In art class, it’s called critiquing, which is actually positive criticizing. But there were times it felt negative because I had created something personal, and that connection was strong only to the creator.
What if that person picked at every small detail, maybe even thinking of it as not being good enough? Well, how good is enough? Where does the line stop?

Genesis 1:31 says, “ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold it was very good.”

If we really believe in our King’s wisdom and love, then we should also accept and appreciate all He has created, including ourselves. Loving who we are inside and out means loving the Lord too. After all, if we have His spirit inside of us, living, isn’t that something to appreciate?
Now, I am not suggesting we love our sin. I am not saying we need to accept those things that hinder our walk with God. I am saying, however, we need to accept our physical attributes as well as the skills and abilities we have been equipped with that God has assigned to our character. We are all different, and God has a special purpose for us individually.
It wasn’t in God’s plan to create vain children. What good is a soul if it’s seeking acceptance within temporal guidelines? It will be difficult for Him to use you if you keep looking at everything or everyone else, but Him! This world is a vain and materialistic world, and it’s just too easy for His people to fall into it’s lies and deceits. When we question why we don’t look like someone else, we are ignoring God’s true value and being very unappreciative of the Lord’s work.
He didn’t make us in a magazine’s image! He didn’t make us in a celebrity’s image! We are not a carbon copy of Vogue, or a cookie cutter Victoria Secret model! No, we are much more than that!
It was God’s image alone! We are beautiful because we are made in His likeness, and Jesus is beautiful.
When God reveals to us to our hearts who He really is, we begin to see the Lord’s invisible realities. Key word is “REALities” There are many ways the Lord reveals Himself to His creation. The main and most important way is through His word; the Bible.

Ephesians 4: 4-7 says, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

The next time you see your reflection, I hope your will be happier because everything you see was made by God’s hands, using Himself as a model. Not like the models that we know. Better than that!

“O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” Jeremiah 4:14

Everything in our character was the work of Jesus, and we may not be happy with any of it. But He didn’t create us to obsess over that, or even question it. And He definitely didn’t create us to obsess over other people’s features, appearances or skills! Accepting ourselves as a whole goes hand in hand when we accept Jesus.
There is only one God and only one of you! Don’t try to be a copy. When your wishing to look like someone else, think about how someone may be thinking that same way about you! I know for me, I’d rather them see the beauty the Lord has done for me and His work in me, then having them see and notice the old me.

We should be thankful and happy that the Lord Jesus Christ loves us so much, He is willing to put His attributes inside of us, so that the rest of the world may see Him.

“If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.”
I Corinthians 11:14