SELF-RESPECT
Thirty-three years ago, I decided to teach myself to paint. One of
my ideas was to cut out photos from newspapers and magazines, then try to paint
them. I chose black and white ones for my first attempt. Then, I learned that
raw umber and ultramarine blue made a nice black, so I mixed up some and started.
The first picture that inspired me was the face of a young Black American girl.
She was financially poor. But in one way, she was wealthy, and it showed
on her face. The photo captured my attention and my heart.
There was dignity in her expression and self-respect, and I wanted to portray her
deep inner strength. She held her head high as her face expressed drive and
courage. When I saw the photo, I thought, “No matter what her circumstances
are, she believes in her worth, and that’s what I want to paint.”
I have the finished painting hanging in the living room, across from where I
sit. The emotional impact continues to inspire me. This girl may not have
had money or things, but she had dignity and pride in who she was. In my
teenage years, I’d lost that and let people treat me badly because I didn’t
think I deserved to be treated well. But when I started to study God’s
Word, my self-worth was re-ignited.
I think God sees us much like I see the painting of the girl’s
face. He’s proud of us. He sees right past any of our outward frailties or
inward shortcomings. He smiles when we believe in ourselves and hold our heads
high. We are His kids. We have a right to dignity, and we have the courage to
believe and walk out on His Word step by step into our futures. We learn a lot
by just doing—finding out what works and what doesn’t work for us. Maybe not
immediately, but eventually, we learn to recognize how He works in our lives,
and we truly learn to trust Him and His Word.
Psalm 139:14 is a great verse to tell ourselves if we’re ever feeling bad about
ourselves: “I will give thanks and praise
to You [God], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your
works, and my soul knows it very well.”
God says we’re fearfully (awesomely,
respectfully) made. God took time thinking about us even before we were born:
what we would look like (what color eyes, the color of our skin, would we have
freckles or not, all that physical stuff.) He carefully planned where we’d be
born, what kind of cultural environment we’d be in, what our voices would sound
like, and what we would enjoy. He thought about all that in great detail and
made each person unique. Then He said, “Wonderful!” We may not always agree with
Him, but we need to!
Zechariah 2:8 tells us we are the apple of God’s eye and warns
those who go up against us. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘After glory, He
has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you,
touches the apple of His eye.’”(NASB).
I like how The Living Bible translates this: “The Lord of Glory
has sent me against the nations that oppressed you, for he who harms you sticks
his finger in Jehovah’s eye!”
This verse specifically talks about nations who plunder God’s
people, but Satan also uses demons to get people to plunder themselves by
self-mutilation of one form or another. Even speaking badly about ourselves can
be a form of mutilation of the mind, heart, and spirit.
Since God says we were awesomely, respectfully, and thoughtfully
made, we need to respect ourselves for what God created! Let’s not stick a
finger in His eye! Instead, the next time we look into the mirror let’s say to
that person, “You, yes YOU, are wonderfully made by God, and you are the apple
of His eye. Respect yourself!”
Love, Carolyn
More good truths from God’s Word and how to
apply these truths in everyday living—get your copy of WINGS: A
Journey in Faith
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