Clean Your Lens

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”

Psalm 139:13 – 16 (The Message)

What an amazing creature you are! Why? Because God made you! You are so special that He painstakingly planned and created you to be the marvelous individual that you are! But I know that some of you reading this struggle with those compliments because you don’t see that person when you look at yourself in the mirror. You see the fat girl, the ugly boy, or the nerdy kid with the glasses who was called four-eyes and bullied all the way home every day after school. Or you see a dummy, a person who’s not that smart because someone told you that most of your life. When you open your mouth and your melodic voice flows out, you don’t hear that. You only hear the sharps and flats and every little imperfection rather than the overall beauty of your song.

Why? Why have we so easily bought into the negative things people have said to us? Because as we’ve heard the negative comments, the mean taunts, or witnessed the failure of someone to contradict those verbal assaults upon our tender hearts, we secretly began to believe them. We bought into them because our view of ourselves was already compromised. Our lenses became dirty and warped and we stopped seeing who and what God sees when He looks at us. We’ve succumbed to the negative forces that exist solely for the purpose of tearing us down, rendering us ineffective, and destroying our belief in divine purpose. How can one walk in their divine purpose if they don’t even believe they have one?

These verses in Psalm 139 are God’s loving reminder that we are special to Him! But not only special to Him, but that He created each one of us so intricately that we each have a unique purpose in this world. It’s proof that we are all powerful beyond measure no matter what we’ve been led to believe! God planned, sculpted, and formed us as an original masterpieces! We are priceless works of art! Together, we form a tapestry of such tremendous beauty that I am convinced God yelps with joy every time we walk in our purpose, individually and collectively!

Oh beloveds, you need to clean your lenses! You must look in the mirror every single day and speak the exact opposite of all the negative things you’ve been told, shown, or made to believe about yourselves! You must counteract the negative and affirm yourselves each and every day! If you believe you’re ugly, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful or handsome. If you believe you aren’t smart, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are smart and have a vast mind that yearns to acquire new knowledge. You get the picture, right? But then take it a step further. If beauty or your appearance is your concern, confide in someone you trust who has some fashion sense and learn some new ways to wear your wardrobe and trying new cosmetics or hygiene products. If you want to expand your mind, read books on new subjects or listen to books on tape to expand your knowledge base. Don’t just say it, do it! You have been given power and authority by God to create change in your life! Now take that power and CLEAN YOUR LENS!

Focus Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to see myself the way that you see me. Help me to clean my lens so that I see all of the good that you’ve poured into me instead of focusing on all of the negative and destructive things others have forced upon me. Body and soul, I am marvelously made! Help me to not only speak these truths into my life, but to take action to change what I see when I look at me. I thank you that You’ve lovingly sculpted me for a purpose and that You have a plan for my life! Thank you for loving me THAT MUCH! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.