God has designed me exactly the way he wants me, to carry out the purpose for which he created me. As long as my heart is fully surrendered to him, then he will be glorified even through those aspects of me which cause me frustration when I look in the mirror.
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Scripture
Ezekiel 3:8-9
8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
Observation
It’s usually not considered a compliment to tell someone they have a hard head–yet that’s exactly what God told Ezekiel! In fact, God emphasizes twice in this short passage, just how extremely hard-headed Ezekiel was…because God created and designed him that way. God had a plan for Ezekiel’s life, to speak through him to a nation of people who were stubborn and hard-headed to an extreme degree–and God knew that his chosen messenger would have to be just as stubborn and hard-headed to carry the message that they needed to hear. Though we often tend to see hard-headedness as a flaw or a character defect, God saw this as one of the greatest strengths he had given Ezekiel…as long as Ezekiel used this aspect of his nature for the glory of God.
Application
Sometimes I look in the mirror and think, “Why, God?! Why did you create me this way? Why couldn’t I be more like ‘that’, or more like ‘this’?” I see the strengths that God has placed in others, and often begin to wish that I could be more like them. Surely I could serve God better if I was more like that person over there! Surely I could be more successful on my mission if I could imitate this one over here!
God’s words to Ezekiel give me so much hope. God has designed me exactly the way he wants me, to carry out the purpose for which he created me. As long as my heart is fully surrendered to him, then he will be glorified even through those aspects of me which cause me frustration when I look in the mirror.
Sometimes God needs a stubborn messenger with a hard head.
Prayer
God, thank you for instilling in me the things that I need, to fulfill your plan in my life! Help me to daily surrender all that I am to you, so that your purposes would be accomplished!
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