Just as artists express their innermost values and thoughts through art, God expresses Himself through His creation, which includes you!

Scripture states that believers are God’s workmanship. (See Ephesians 2:10.) Each unchangeable part of your life is like a precise word selected by a poet or a specific color prepared by an artist. God designed the unique details of your life to demonstrate a particular aspect of His grace and glory.

Suppose that an artist’s canvas had a will of its own and could say, “I dislike these colors. I will reject them.” In rejecting the colors, the canvas rejects the message and purpose of the artist.

In the same way, if you reject the unchangeable features that God designed for your life, you reject His work and the message and purpose He wants to accomplish in and through you. Angry outbursts of self-rejection such as “I hate myself” or “I hate life” are bitter reactions toward God and His design.

Self-acceptance receives God’s design and seeks to understand the purpose for each feature God selected. Some unchangeables, such as the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh, may be unpleasant. (See II Corinthians 12:7–10.) However, self-acceptance allows you to be at peace with God, to accept your unchangeables, and to be excited about what God can accomplish in and through them.