For the Lord takes pleasure in His People ; He will beautify the humble with salvation.

Psalms 149:4

A beggar agreed to let an artist paint his picture.  A few hours later, he was staring in astonishment at the finished canvas. “Who’s that?” he asked, for before him was a portrait of a tall, dignified gentleman. “That’s the you I see.” the artist replied quietly. “Then,” responded the beggar, “that’s the me I’ll be.”

Jesus sees each of us not as the sinner we indeed are, but as the saint we will one day be. We need to learn to see ourselves that way, too. This doesn’t mean we are never to experience negative thoughts and feelings about ourselves. Negative thoughts may indicate that  we are aware of our limitations  and may motivate us to change. But by constantly putting ourselves down, we choose the pathway to withdrawal. We hide behind the smokescreen of inferior feelings rather facing the truth about ourselves.

A positive view of myself, based on an awareness of both my strengths and my limitations, is the result of seeing myself as God sees me. He knows I am deeply fallen, but He felt I was significant  enough to send His only Son to die for me. God loves me greatly. God loves you!

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord for looking at both my weaknesses and my strengths with loving accepting eyes.