Just What God Intended Me
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
How often do we find something in ourselves that we are unsatisfied with? The dissatisfaction can take many forms; you may not be happy with any number of things, including height, weight, eye color, or hair color. Our culture is obsessed with self-image, and our well-being can be greatly affected by this constant scrutiny. The zeitgeist—spirit of the age—is to do everything within your ability to make yourself more like someone else. But this mentality says, My ideal version of myself is better than what God created.
One thing that I have struggled with is being happy with the sound of my own voice. Based on everything I hear, not very many people like the sound of their own voice—even some famous singers. At least I am not alone in this feeling! Even if someone tells me they like the way I sound, there is a part of me that has wished that I could sound like someone else; I could give you a list of vocalists whose voice I would like to have, even for just a day.
Envy stems from ingratitude. I shouldn't be wishing for someone else's voice; I should be grateful that God gave me a voice at all! In Philippians 4:11, Paul says, "I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content." Don't defer your happiness to some version of yourself that you long to be. Be content with who you are, because who you are is God's craftmanship. You were made in a particular way for a particular purpose. The parts of yourself that you dislike are what God uses for divine purposes. You were created in the image of God in Christ Jesus. You were prepared beforehand for good works. Don't see yourself as a "lesser than," but instead as the beautiful handiwork of God, who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things: the universe, the galaxy, the world, the flowers, the butterflies, and—most importantly—you, a human being made in the image of God, the crowning achievement of creation (Genesis 1:27, 31).
Non Nobis Nati
