“But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” Romans 9:20 (ESV)

Sitting on the deck in the dark of the night, I suddenly felt the urge to cover my face with my hoodie. My daughter had convinced me to take yet another personality test. The results … well, they weren’t very surprising.

Reading the traits out loud took me back to grade school. I could still hear my teacher say, “You need to be quieter … not so energetic.” He should’ve just said, “Lynn, be more like ____ and less like yourself.” When someone tells you that, you instantly become uncomfortable being yourself.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Just be yourself.” I’ve even told myself this, especially when I’m getting ready to meet new people or walk into a situation where I’ll feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Being myself isn’t always easy. I worry if I’m the true me, others won’t like me. I haven’t made up this scenario in my mind — I’ve faced people’s displeasure when I’ve tried being “the real Lynn.”

But I can’t change people’s opinions, and I certainly shouldn’t be changing the way God made me. So, I guess the question is not “Will they like me?” but “Will I choose to like myself?”

God certainly has something to say about that. In today’s key verse, God says: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” (Romans 9:20).

Here, God calls Himself the molder of me, the molder of you. As our Maker, He knew exactly what He was doing when He made me talkative, energetic, even outspoken. He knew these were traits He would use along with the gifts He has given me. These traits, when honed by Him, would glorify Him.

The same is true for you. When He made you, He knew exactly what He was doing! He knew you needed to be extroverted or introverted, loud or quiet, energetic or low-key. God not only tells us to not question why He made us a certain way, but He gets to decide how He will use His creation!

This is the true reason why we need to know, in the deepest parts of who we are, that He made us, that what He made is good and that He will use what He made.

Friend, what if we let this truth be the basis for loving who we are? For when we receive God’s view of ourselves, it helps us see others in a new way … the way God sees them.

John sums it up best: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NIV).

Father God, thank You for making me exactly the way You made me. Right now, I’m struggling with liking this part about myself: _____ (fill in the blank). Help me see this part of me in a new way … very intentionally designed by You. Put people in my path today who need to know just how much they are loved for exactly who they are, too. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

Isaiah 45:9, “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?” (ESV)

Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Am I loved? Am I valuable? Am I smart? A girl needs to know she’s enough because of God’s love, then share that love with others. Today, Lynn Cowell and co-author counselor Michelle Nietert release their book, Loved & Cherished: 100 Devotions for Girls, which empowers girls ages 8-12 to confidently know they’re loved, protected, secure, whole and valuable. This week, for every copy of Loved & Cherished purchased, Lynn and Michelle will donate a copy to a girl in foster care who also needs to know she is loved and cherished.

Want to start a small group for girls to know they are loved and cherished? With the purchase of 8 copies of Loved & Cherished: 100 Devotions for Girls, you will receive a free group study guide plus a Zoom call for your group with authors Lynn or Michelle. Click here for more information.

CONNECT

Pop over to Lynn’s blog, where you can enter a giveaway for your chance to win one of five autographed copies of Loved & Cherished for your girl! Click here.

REFLECT AND RESPOND

Grab your journal and a pen and spend a few minutes alone with the Lord today. List out a few qualities you like about yourself, and thank God for them. Now, list out a few qualities you wish were different about yourself. Ask the Lord to help you see these things as He sees them.

What girl in your life needs to know she is loved by God and you? What tangible steps can you take to communicate that love in a way she can receive? Share your ideas and stories with us in the comments!

© 2020 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.