Ephesians 2.10 says, ‘For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things that He has planned for us long ago.’  (NLT)

It is said that the painter, Monet, was travelling on a train when he saw the beautiful French village of Giverny.  He was so taken with it that he rented a cottage just so he could paint the scene.

C S Lewis’ famous wardrobe into Narnia is thought to have been inspired by a heavy, ornate wooden door that he used to walk past in Oxford.  The door was covered in carvings, including one in the centre that was of a lion.

Paul and I recently went to an amazing exhibition of glass sculptures created by Dale Chihuly.  These mesmerizing and breathtaking works of art were inspired by plants and animals, fire, water and even bubbles.

The creative process is so interesting, isn’t it?

For me, it usually starts with a thought.  Sometimes that thought is sparked by something I hear someone else say or from something I have read.  Often it will be a situation that I experience and I think, ‘I need to write about that.’

Creativity starts with inspiration.

Have you ever thought that God was inspired when he created you?

Just read Psalm 139. 16-18.  And then believe it about yourself.

Before you were made, before you were knitted together, the Bible says that God planned your days.  He had a thought, an idea about how the world needed a person just like you.  And then, motivated and inspired by the works He had designed for you to accomplish, He oversaw your creation.

There is nothing random about your existence.  You were a thought that became a soul.  Your soul is unique and so is your story.  It has not been and will never be replicated anywhere else on the planet, at any time in history.

And it is with your uniqueness that you most glorify the artist who created you.  You have His stamp, His signature.  You are His masterpiece, His original artwork, a valuable and precious part of His portfolio.

And He has a destiny for you to walk in that will bring glory to Him and good to the world.  

Don’t waste a second comparing yourself to anyone else.  Don’t hide.  Don’t wish you were someone else with a different story.  And don’t doubt your beauty.  You are a masterpiece of the Divine artist.

But do let Jesus mould your character.  Let Him knock the edges off, like facets in a diamond.  He is the potter and you are His clay.  If life has hurt you, let Him heal and make you whole.  You are in the hands of the master restorer and He knows what He is doing.

Let your Creator make you more like Himself and in doing so, make you feel more like yourself than you ever have.  

In Him, we find the joy of our uniqueness, the satisfaction of His Divine purposes for us and the Shalom peace that comes from total surrender to the one who made us.