Work of Art

Imagine that you have just finished a beautiful work of art. You've poured out all that you have in to it. All your effort and hard work is now displayed. Sweat and tears fell as you labored over it. You are very proud of your creation and you marvel at all the wonderful purposes it could serve. Overwhelmed by its beauty, you sit and take it all in, memorizing even the tiniest brush stroke and smiling as your creation now sits in front of you. As you examine your creation closely, you discover that something is wrong with it, it doesn't look quite right, in fact, it is flawed. Still in awe, you think about what you should to with your flawed creation. You can rip up, tear up, crumble up, or destroy your work of art and throw it in the trash and start over, after all it's flawed and it's not perfect. Or you can stand in amazement, staring at your creation in wonder and loving even the tiniest flaw in it. After all you created it with your own two hands, right. You put your time, efforts and hard work into this work of art that now sits in front of you. What would you do?

Now let's put that aside and think about the answer to the question, Why does God love us?

So, why does he? The Bible says that “No one is righteous, not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one… For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:10-12, 23 NLT) I mean we aren't perfect, we have flaws, we sin, and some of us are downright disobedient, disrespectful, and hurtful to God. So if we think about that, then why would God love us?

God loves us because he created us. "So, God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27 NLT). “When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself.” (Genesis 5:1) Not only did God create us, but we were created in his own image. God loves us because he created us with his own two hands! This type of relationship wasn’t established with anything else in all of creation! What value this gives us to be created in the image of God!

We are bombarded with things and people in this world that constantly de-value us and make us feel like we are worth nothing. Often times there is a voice from our past or a voice in our head that says you’ve messed up too many times. You’ve made too many mistakes. You can’t do anything right. You can’t do it. You can’t do it on your own. We hear things like you’re not smart enough. You’re not strong enough. You’re not thin enough. You’re not pretty enough. Then Satan, the father of all lies, pops in and says that there is no way you can ever make anything of yourself. You are worthless. You are useless. Have you ever thought any of these things about yourself? Have you ever thought to yourself: How could God love me? I am such a terrible person. I can't do anything right!?

I think that God used the ministry of Jesus to show just how valuable we really are. Jesus reached out to the ones who were considered the outsiders, the untouchables, the outcasts. Jesus reached out to the ones who were considered “the least” to show the value and worth of everyone. I think we were created in God’s image because He wanted us to understand that we are worth something. He wanted us to see just how much He loves us. The amazing thing about God’s love for us is this, in spite of what we have done, or what we have yet to do - God loves us infinitely more that we can ever imagine. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us less. He loves us exactly the same on our worst days as He does on our best days. He breathed life into us and he formed us in our mother’s womb. We are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:13-16) Yes we are all sinners and we fall short of God's expectations for us, but He still loves us (Romans 3:23)

We are His masterpiece, His work of art. We were created for a reason and with a purpose. He poured all He had into us. Sweat and tears fell as He labored over us and despite all of the flaws we have or may think we have. He loves us! How amazing is that? We are flawed, imperfect, works of art, masterpieces, beautiful creations that are loved greatly!

How many of you would have thrown away your creation and simply started over? I know I probably would have.

I am so thankful that God doesn't scrap us and start over. Aren't you? God created everything about us, our looks, our personality – everything! He uses every aspect of our lives – the good and the bad to weave together a beautiful tapestry and all for His Glory!

So, the next time you find yourself standing in front of the mirror, wondering if and why God loves you, remember this. You are a beautiful creation, a work of art, a masterpiece; loved whole-heartedly and unconditionally despite any flaws. You are a child of God and you are loved!

I find it quite comforting to know that not only did God sacrifice His only son, Christ, to show His love for mankind, but He also created us in His image. It seems that not only did He want us to call Him our Father, but He also wanted us to recognize that we are His children. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1, ESV).