Wonderfully made: Reflecting on God’s word when we question our self-image

There are few topics more critical for today’s young people than self image and identity.

Bombarded through movies, music, social media and daily interactions with peers, our teens too many times develop a self image defined by negative perceptions from those around them. They second guess their looks, their abilities and their importance in the grand scheme of God’s bigger plans.

It was apparent recently at a music recital by several Christian youngsters at a nearby church coffeehouse. Each pre-teen was to perform a solo for family, friends and passers-by. Each child was visibly terrified.

It got me to thinking … why should any of us be nervous to share God’s talent among God’s own people in one of God’s earthly venues? And yet, if my pastor told me that I would need to sing a solo in front of our church next Sunday, I’d be just as terrified as the young performers at the Christian coffeehouse.

Why is that? For me, even though I know such a performance should be about honoring God and doing the best I can … it wouldn’t be good enough. I’d be too worried what others would think.

In a recent Port Ann Wesleyan youth group, we talked about some famous celebrities and the youth were asked to share short descriptions of certain famous people. Common adjectives included: beautiful, pretty, great voice, popular, special.

The PAW Youth were then each given a hand held mirror and a dry erase marker. They were encouraged to look into the mirror in their hands and write some descriptions of what they saw looking back. While there were a few positive descriptions, there were many more negative phrases. Fat, big nose, tired, plain and even ugly among them.

The youth were asked to erase the descriptions from their mirrors and turn to Genesis 1:27 … and we discussed how in that verse from the very beginning, that God created mankind in His own image.

Let that soak in a moment. We are each created in God’s image. To second guess our own image (in a mirror or elsewhere) is to second guess God Himself.

Next, the youth group was directed to Psalm 139. The psalmist does a very thorough job of pointing out how God knows him completely and on all levels. In the midst of that psalm, the writer admits that in the midst of God’s multi-layered microscope on his own life, that he was “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Those of us with self esteem issues can learn a lot from this Psalm. Not only are we created in God’s image, but we are also “wonderfully made.” Despite the flaws we cast on ourselves or that we allow others to taint us with, we are actually each an individual masterpiece created by and in the likeness of the most devine of artists.

The youth were each given a permanent marker and instructed to write the phrase “Wonderfully made” across the top of their mirrors. Then, the youth were asked to go around the room and write at least one positive descriptive word or phrase on each of their peers’ mirrors. The phrase had to be personally something notable and special about that person.

The end result was a powerful exercise where each youth received numerous positive, re-affirming comments from their peers in permanent marker on their mirrors.

The youth were encouraged to keep their mirrors handy in their rooms at home, and any time they felt especially vulnerable, self-doubting or depressed, they should take a few moments to look in the mirror and be reminded that they are wonderfully made and that their youth group peers see some especially powerful qualities in them.

The group also listened to the song “Hello, My Name Is” by Matthew West, written about the negative labels that we sometimes put on ourselves (or that others put on us) and that through it all, we are most importantly a “child of the One true King.”

Check out the song along with its powerful back story here: