GodsLove #InnerBeauty #ChristianDevotional #FaithJourney #GodsHandiwork #Redemption #YouAreLoved #ScriptureInspiration
I:God sees what we were created to be—even when sin or mistakes mask our beauty. Just like I came to admire a magpie despite its “pest” behavior, God still sees us as strikingly beautiful. Take a moment today to remember: you are His handiwork, a diamond in the rough, cherished beyond measure. 💎💛
X: God sees beyond our flaws and mistakes. Like a diamond in the rough or a magpie with brilliant colors, we are His handiwork—beautiful and loved.
In 2013, my youngest son moved from Eastern Canada to the province of Alberta in the west. His intent was to go to school, and we fully expected him to return home at the end of his school cycle. He had different plans, however, and so it was that my wife and I began making yearly trips to Alberta. Little did I know at the time that one day it would be my home.
One of the first things I noticed in those early trips to Alberta was an absolutely stunning bird.
“What’s that?” I asked our son.
“That’s a pest!” he responded, contempt dripping from his voice.
I would later learn it was a magpie, and, to be honest, in my limited five-to-ten day visits, I never really understood why my son called this gorgeous bird a ‘pest’! How could something with such striking colors be a ‘pest’?
As time went by, I would learn that literally no one in my son’s city liked magpies. When I ventured to say they were beautiful, I was immediately shut down with comments such as, “There’s nothing beautiful about that pest!” Nonetheless, I couldn’t help admiring the brilliant blues and the clear black and white lines.
The truth is, the magpie is a domineering bird with a very loud call. They love to scold at the top of their lungs from the moment the sun rises until it sets at night. And since this far north, nights are pretty short—well, you get the picture! In addition, they drive smaller birds from their nests and destroy entire nests of eggs. They are scavengers, and they love garbage. One magpie can strew your garbage from one end of the street to another. The list of this bird’s atrocities goes on and on. I guess if I lived here for very long, maybe even I wouldn’t see their beauty over their evil deeds…
The magpie actually reminds me a bit of humanity. When God created us, we were His handiwork, perfectly capable of doing the good works God created us to do: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV) Enter sin, and suddenly our beauty became masked by our bad deeds. Think about it. When we see someone who has done a lot of bad things, it can be very difficult to recognize any beauty in them!
Fortunately, that’s not how God sees us. You see, He still sees us for what we were created to be. He knows that no matter what our sinful nature has made us, we are still diamonds. In the raw, perhaps, but diamonds. Solomon expresses this idea in the Song of Solomon: “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” (4:7 NIV).
Have you ever wondered why Jesus would go to such lengths to save us? I mean, as far from Him as mankind has turned, He still died on that horrible cross in order to save us! I would suggest that it is because He sees us the way I see the magpie! Despite what we’ve done and even given how low sin has caused us to fall, He still sees us as strikingly beautiful, people worthy of His saving power! This is why He went to the cross. It is also why He isn’t content to leave us where we are. It is why Paul says, “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)
I, for one, am very grateful that when God looks at me with all of my human flaws, He sees something strikingly beautiful, something worthy of trying to save! My prayer is that God will indeed carry out the good work He has begun in me so that someday it won’t be so hard for others to see me the way God does!
One more thing. If any of you find yourself sharing your backyards with magpies, I would ask you to look at them a little differently next time! Try to admire their beauty, despite what they may have been doing, and then take a moment to thank God that He sees our inner beauty even when our actions mask it!
Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries