Genesis 5:1-2 This is the family tree of the human race: When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. He created both male and female and blessed them, the whole human race. 

I often beat myself up, especially when I’ve done things I know are not within God’s will. I feel bad, and then I start thinking badly of myself, as if I’ve forgotten that God thinks differently about me. It’s just difficult for me to believe that I’m created in the image of God. 

I watched the movie about Dr Ben Carson on Netflix: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. It tells the story of a boy who grew up in a simple shack, with a mother who could barely read, but who told him, “God made you in His image.” That faith awakened something in him. He began to believe that he was not trapped in poverty but was created for a purpose. 

He eventually became one of the world’s most famous neurosurgeons and the first doctor to successfully separate Siamese twins conjoined at the head. His life story illustrates that radical change begins the moment you accept your identity as being made in the image of God: your thinking, your dreams, and your future. 

What you think of yourself determines your behaviour. What you say about yourself determines the direction you’re headed. Putting yourself down and not thinking well of yourself won’t take you on the path God wants you to walk. 

Our self-perception must be rooted in value, for the Almighty Creator did not create us just for simple existence. No, we are made in His image. Remember: God made no junk! 

You have great value, not because you’re so great, but because God made you. You do not receive your value from yourself, but from your Creator. Your circumstances do not determine your value; God does. 

Look at yourself with new eyes today and remember you are made in God’s image. You bear His signature and are blessed with purpose and value. Speak well of yourself and live like someone who the Creator Himself shaped. 

Prayer
Father, I confess that I sometimes tear myself down and allow my self-esteem to disappear. Help me, Spirit of God, to live a life where I know and believe that I am valuable, only because You made me … 

Questions
What does it mean to be made in God’s image?
What lies about yourself do you need to replace today?
How will you live today as a God-image bearer? 

Now do this
Start your day with truth. Look in the mirror and say out loud, “I am made in God’s image”. Let those words shape your identity.
Write down three qualities that you believe God has built into you and use them today to encourage someone else.
Stop comparing. Focus today on seeing yourself as God sees you: unique, blessed, and with a purpose.