It’s easy to get down on ourselves because we’re not as far along as we want to be. We focus on our flaws, our shortcomings. “Why am I not more disciplined? I’m still struggling with this addiction. I’m so impatient, and I keep saying things I know I shouldn’t.” Some people live with this nagging feeling inside, telling them something is wrong with them and how they don’t measure up. But the Scripture says, “God is the potter, and we are the clay” (Isaiah 64:8). He controls the process of when and how fast we change. The key is to accept yourself while God is in the process of changing you.
You’re not supposed to go through life being against yourself, overanalyzing your faults. Focusing on your weaknesses doesn’t help you improve. All that does is slow down the process. We put all this pressure on ourselves to change. “I have to be more focused…watch my mouth…be a better mother…be a better spouse…be a better employee.” It’s good to want to improve, to strive for excellence and grow, but don’t get frustrated if it’s not happening as fast as you’d like. Only God can change some things. Until He gives you the grace to do it, you have to accept yourself where you are. It takes maturity to have peace in the process.
The apostle Paul says, “We are God’s masterpiece” (Ephesians 2:10). It’s interesting that a masterpiece never makes itself. Without da Vinci, there is no Mona Lisa painting—just another ordinary canvas, some paint, brushes, no big deal. Without Michelangelo, there is no statue of David—just another big slab of marble. Others looked at that marble slab and thought, “It’s nothing special.” The difference was the maker. The good news is that you have a maker, you have a designer. It’s not Michelangelo or da Vinci. Your maker is the Most High God. It’s not up to you to become a masterpiece; that’s your maker’s job. You don’t have to strive, perform, and live under pressure. You can relax, knowing that you’re a masterpiece in the making.
You may have some flaws, some areas you need to do better in. You’re not finished. The master is still at work. Don’t get discouraged while you’re being changed. Your divine designer can see the finished product. He is making you and molding you. He knows exactly what you need, when you need it, and where you need it. What looks like a mistake or a flaw to us is not to Him. When He has added some more strokes, more color, more definition, more shadowing, it begins to make sense. When it all comes together, you will become the masterpiece God created you to be.