Celebrating God’s Handiwork - The Essence of Self-Acceptance – Part V
Consider the difference in your own life if you unconditionally accept God’s bestowal of divine gifts and abilities. Rather than crossing your fingers and wishing upon a star, you could directly ask God to reveal these talents to you. Then, you could proceed to offer the unique contribution to His honor and glory and to humankind that you and only you can offer. What an amazing thought! You are the only repository of a gift that Almighty God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, wishes to share with the world. Should not that thought give you a level of self-acceptance and self-love that a thousand self-help books could never give you? Furthermore, you should never be at a loss for your purpose and mission in life. Discerning the will and gifts of God and using them to the best of your ability is the end of life. In colloquial terms, you are the very best at what you do, if you do it, because no one else can do what you do.
“Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” I pray that all of us will accept and personally apply it. We are God’s handiwork. The psalmist’s belief statement is more than a mental one. It is an affirmation of heart and soul. He knows this truth in the depth of his being. This assertion is not a matter of ego. It fundamentally defines his outlook on life. His life is not a matter of chance and circumstance. He steadfastly declares his birthright as one of God’s greatest creations. In consequence of this knowledge, the psalmist rejoices in his God given life and its accompanying purposes. I hope that we will emulate the statements and practices of the psalmist by confirming in the core of our beings that we are the wonderful work of Almighty God.
The psalmist is unrelenting in his assertion that God has always had a plan for his life. As the sixteenth verse concludes, the psalmist pronounces, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I realize that this faith statement creates great problems for some believers. They ponder the extent of their free will if God already established a plan for their lives. They additionally wonder why He fails to assist them in avoiding the pitfalls of life, given His perfect knowledge of past, present and future events. Acknowledging the Lord’s foreknowledge in conjunction with His holy and benevolent character helps me to understand these complexities. Like a lot of people, I struggle with some of the things that occur within God’s permissive will. However, I have arrived at the conclusion that God’s perfect knowledge and love for me means that He ultimately knows what will make my joyous and whole in life. Thus, my best chance at living a fulfilling and happy life comes when I align my will with His plans.
The psalmist completes his song of celebration of God’s handiwork by offering a brief and sincere prayer. He asks God to search the depths of his heart and soul. Often, we harbor sin and negative emotions within the crevices of our mind, the closets of our hearts and the cellars of our psyches. These “anxious thoughts” inhibit us from appreciating God’s handiwork as He embodies it in us. Fear is the greatest enemy in life. It robs us of the greatest blessings. It steals our ambition and courage. Self-centered fear impedes our ability and willingness to enjoy the abundant and eternal life that God offers us in Christ. In accordance, the psalmist pleads with God to remove “any offensive way in me.” That freedom enables him to follow Almighty God along the “way everlasting.”
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