Michelangelo, the famed Renaissance artist, painted some three hundred frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City during the 1600s. After many years, soot and dust have discoloured these monumental works, making it increasingly difficult to see them from the ground. During a restoration project some forty years ago, specialists were astounded by what they discovered, particularly the variety of artistic approaches used by Michelangelo. They detected intricacies in his brush strokes and colour application that had gone unnoticed for centuries. Michelangelo was reintroduced into the art world as a great master because of this new discovery.

Consider how the Psalmist recounts his feelings about the way God made him:

I praise [thank] you because you made me in an amazing [awesome] and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well.

Psalm 139:14 [EXB]

 

When you see yourself through God's eyes, you will rediscover your feeling of amazement and wonder, just as the Psalmist did. Rejoice that you are amazingly and wonderfully created in the image and likeness of God. You are not a faulty product, but rather God's very own masterpiece. As a new creation in Christ, you genuinely possess an enduring identity that never loses its true and intrinsic worth.

Remember who you are and remember whose you are. You belong to God. Living in this truth gives you a healthy self-image as well as the divine advantage and confidence to live effectively in God's grace. You will find freedom from all feelings of doubt and fear, shame and condemnation, defeat and failure.