For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. – Eph. 2:10
The group of twelve ladies that I met with for the Ephesians Bible study on Tuesday nights was a mixed group of all ages and we took our lesson seriously, engaging in interesting discussions as we went through the questions at the end of each chapter. There was a question in the study guide after we read chapter two that asked, “If you told someone at work or school that you are a masterpiece, or a work of art, what would they probably say?”
There was one young lady in our group who we could tell didn’t esteem herself very highly. She said, “No one would think I was a masterpiece. They would just laugh at me and say that is stupid!” We could hear the pain in her answer, but appreciated her open and honest reply. We delved into a lengthy discussion hoping she would receive the truth of this verse in scripture.
After our discussion of this verse and passage in our class, and considering the depth of its meaning, Terri changed right in front of our eyes. Her entire countenance changed. She smiled and her face lit up because she saw herself as God sees her, possibly for the first time in her life.
The next week, after having continued to absorb the truth and realization that she is God‘s workmanship and created for good works, Terri walked into our class a different person. She stood taller, more confident and self-assured. She smiled more and even the tone in which she spoke was different. She had a very pretty smile. She had shared the week before that she didn’t like to see herself in the mirror because she didn’t like the person staring back at her. What a difference a week made; now there was a new glow beaming from a face that had been downcast just the week before.
Her encounter with the Biblical truth of her beauty and value to God had turned the light on inside of her that life circumstances had dimmed. She overcame the negative view of herself she had been living with and looked at herself through scripture now. She told us she even smiles now when she looks at herself in the mirror and quotes Ephesians 2:10, which quickly became her favorite verse.
Kathy Cheek is a freelance writer with articles appearing in various Christian publications including Journey and Mature Living magazines. She also contributes to several online ministry sites. You can read her devotions on her site In Quiet Places at kathycheek.com. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas and have two grown daughters who also reside in the Dallas area.