The world and today’s culture tell you what you should be: skinnier, more athletic, taller, shorter, a millionaire by your 20s, have more followers on social media, and the list goes on. The message of today is the world will only accept you if you can meet its expectations. Accepting how God made you is critical in the times we live. But how do you do this?
Trying to meet the culture’s expectations is like running on a hamster wheel. The expectations increase or change when you think you’ve got it figured out. The goal posts in this world keep moving, making acceptance feel impossible.
If you place your worth in what the world deems you to be, you're likely to be:
- Less confident
- Unsure of your place in the world
- Consumed with guilt and shame
- Unknowing of how God created you
In Psalms 139:14, David wrote:
- “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
He recognized that God made no mistake when He made us. He created us in His image. Romans 5:8 says that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We didn’t have to make ourselves acceptable to God–Jesus did that for us!
It's futile to try to conform to the world's expectations because God will meet us right where we are.
Accepting how God made you is the key to finding peace and confidence in this ever-changing and critical world.
See Yourself the Way God Sees You
Instead of placing your worth on the world's expectations, God wants you to see yourself through His eyes. He tells us how He sees anyone who is in Christ:
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”–2 Corinthians 5:17
In this verse, God says that He sees us as new beings in Christ. He informs us that our sins are forgiven. If you're feeling lost or guilty due to your past, you can rest assured that God forgives your sin when you believe in Christ.
In 1 Samuel 16:7, God confirms that He doesn't look at your appearance but your heart. When God sent Samuel to pick a king from Jesse's sons, He chose David based on his heart despite his brothers bearing the prime physical resemblance of kings.
Let this verse remind you that God is more concerned with your heart than He is with your physical appearance. So don't let others' opinions of you take up residence in your mind over what God says about you.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God further tells you that He has plans to give you a future and a hope. He has thoughts of peace toward you. So if you ever find yourself comparing your current situation in life with that of others, this verse reminds you of the great things that the Lord has in store for you.
He sees you His workmanship, and He will finish the good work He started through you (Philippians 1:6). He is in the process of ever refining you for greater things.
Accepting how God made you is the key to finding your purpose and seeing that you are valuable. Being in Christ makes you acceptable to God; therefore, you can have peace and accept the way God made you.
What Does It Mean to Be in Christ?
Being in Christ means…
- You've received Jesus into your life
- When God sees you, He sees Christ
- You are in relationship with God
- You are never alone
After you believe in Jesus for salvation, the Holy Spirit begins to work out Christ’s righteousness within you. This means He reveals things that are not of Christ in you and works with you to remove them, magnifying Christ in you.
God promises to be by your side through trials and tribulations. His promised strength is so strong that David wrote this with conviction:
- “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”–Psalms 27:1
Being in Christ also makes you a temple of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). God would never choose to reside in a temple unfit for Him. By accepting how God made you, you recognize that He created you as you are and willingly lives in you.
Being in Christ allows you to enjoy God's grace, blessings, and unending love (Romans 8:38-39). God is gracious, kind, caring, and loving, and being in Christ opens your eyes to see all of His characteristics.
How the Enemy Blinds You from Accepting How God Made You
The enemy tries to prevent you from accepting how God made you in subtle ways. He uses people, circumstances, fears, and your past to blind you from seeing yourself as God sees you.
Lies from the Enemy
- He puts unnecessary pressure on you by using your sinful past. He tries to make you feel worthless by reminding you of wrongdoings in your past. He forces a narrative that your past defines your future, and you aren’t forgiven.
- He blinds you by comparing you to others. He'll make you feel worthless by showing you the successes of others and what they are enjoying. Maybe they have nice cars, great jobs, or a bigger influence than you. He magnifies what you don’t have to keep you from believing God’s good plans for you.
- He blinds you by accentuating the ‘flaws‘ in your physical appearance. He'll approach you through magazine photos and billboard ads that talk about what your body should look like. You'll start believing that you're worthless unless you are a certain size, taller, have a particular style, or look a certain way.
- He uses your fears against you. Even though God promises to always be by your side, the enemy will look for instances that put you down and use those to consume your thought life.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”–1 Peter 5:8
How to See Yourself Through God's Eyes
Accepting how God made you begins with removing the barriers the enemy puts on your path. You can embrace God’s view of you by…
- Receiving Christ: Once you receive Jesus, God makes you into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is gracious to forgive you of your sin–past, present, and future. The enemy will try to use your past against you, but you have authority through Christ to resist him, and he has to flee (James 4:7).
- Acknowledging the plans the Lord has for you: Stop comparing yourself with others and start praising God for what He has given you. Thank Him in all things, and He will reveal more and more to you (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
- Reminding yourself of God's love: God loves you with a neverending love (Psalm 109:26). Unlike people's love, which wavers. His love is perfect. It's based on who He is, not your physical appearance or personal performance.
- Discover yourself in Christ: God has a purpose for your life. Seek Him, and He'll guide you into your purpose (Proverbs 3:6).
He's the God Who Sees
“Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees…”--Genesis 16:13
God hasn't made a mistake by making you as you are. He sees you and accepts you. He longs to have a real relationship with the real you. By accepting how God made you, you'll move away from fighting against your real self and start embracing the beauty in being you.
- “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.”–Song of Solomon 4:7
God wants you to find hope, healing, and restoration in Christ. Are you ready to move forward, accepting how God made you?
