One of my favorite questions to ask my 3-year-old daughter is, “Why are you special?” She enthusiastically replies, “Because God made me!”

The best part is when she proceeds to tell me all the parts that he made while pointing to each one. “God made my elbows,” she says, as she proudly points them both at me. “He made my legs,” as her pointer finger dances back and forth between her thighs, “and he made my toes,” as she rips off her socks to wiggle them for me. She knows that God made every part of her body just the way he wanted her to look. He made her so special. Can you cheerfully say the same thing about your body?

In such a visually-driven society it’s easy to get caught up in our appearance. There is nothing wrong with looking good and being healthy, but too often we fall into the comparison trap. We can easily forget the opinion that matters most of all — God’s.

Do you know what God says about you?

You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). God knows the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30). After all, he put them there, and colored them too! He knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). You can be confident that he knows and loves you inside and out.

But we still try to change our appearance — God’s handiwork. Why is that?

If it's to impress people, attract attention, or make ourselves feel important, then we are fooling ourselves, thinking that these changes will make us happy. Our happiness can only be found in the person of Jesus Christ. Anything else we try will fail.

Our appearance is not the only thing we try to change.

Discontent with our personality or lack of talent in certain areas, we try to be who we’re not in order to feel significant and good about ourselves. But God gifted us all in special ways (1 Corinthians 12). We need to embrace our gifts! Have you thought about what you are truly gifted at doing? Each of us was uniquely designed by God for his pleasure and purpose. Instead of wasting time trying to be someone else, let’s figure out how to step into the unique destiny he has for us.

My parents gave me the gift of understanding why I’m special. They reminded me of the perfect Father who made the parts of my body that I questioned. They helped me to find my worth in Christ. God, your Father, wants to remind you of your incredible value.

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

Are you too critical of the child that God made? Do you think that he could have done a few things better? Isaiah 43:4 tells us that we are “precious and honored” in his sight. The Creator of the universe chose every part of your body, just as he chose where to put each star in the sky. He thinks you are incredibly special! Ask him to help you live in the reality of his affirmation and to help you enjoy how he’s made you inside and out.

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Photo Credit: Tonglé Dakum