You, Chapter Two

**This is a continuation of what I consider to be the most noteworthy points made by Ed Young in chapter two of his book, You. Please remember I use italics or quotation marks when making a direct quote. Any other thoughts are Connie-originals.**

In chapter one, Young stated the tendency people have to get on different "treadmills" in their search for self-esteem and/or the answer to the question, "Do I matter?" In this chapter, Young says in order for people to get off this vicious treadmill cycle, we need to release our lives, to include our self-esteem, to God and allow Him to be the source of our self-esteem. Young goes on to say that once we do that, we are "prepared to discover that having great self-esteem means seeing ourselves the way God sees us - nothing more and nothing less."

I suppose that means we need to get over ourselves. Young cited Isaiah 49:5 which reads, "The Lord gives me honor; He is the source of my strength." Young also says When God created the universe, He spoke everything into existence...taking personal artistic care in the creation of mankind. In other words, each of us is a masterpiece.

A masterpiece? Oh, come on! I wish I had someone else's hair, someone else's height, someone else's body type, abilities, voice, etc. etc. etc. I have not normally struggled with the desire for material things, but the personal, inside stuff that is me...well, that's another story. I am not comfortable in my own skin. I never have been. I see so many other people with qualities much more desirable than mine. Why wouldn't I want to be like them? I struggled with these thoughts as I continued to read this chapter. Then Young said this:

When we clock out and meet the Lord face to face, God is not going to look at you and me and say, "Hey, I wish you would have been more like him or her." He's going to say, "I wish you had been more like you."

Wow. I know I've had these same truths run through my mind before, but to think of God saying it to me really made me pause. I've even chided people by telling them they insult God and His creation when they put themselves down. After all, He did design each of us and broke the mold after He did. There is only ONE me. ONE you. That is something to feel good about rather than beat ourselves up over.

When it comes to the worth of anything, Young speaks a well-known truth: an object is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Therefore, whenever we begin to doubt our worth or talk down about ourselves, we need to "remember the cross-remember the price God paid for us." Let me put it in Young's exact words:

But whenever you begin to doubt your worth, remember the cross - remember the price God paid for you. (emphasis mine)

That sort of makes it more personal, doesn't it? I admit I had to pause and reread that passage several times. It did me good.

Young tied his thoughts about our being a masterpiece and being worth such a high price very nicely: You are a masterpiece that was purchased at the highest price possible. He did it because we matter to him. He did it because He wanted us to understand our originality, our value, and to experience His love and forgiveness. Pause again. Reread. Meditate on it. Digest. Receive. Believe.

I do not have much in the way of tangents or original thoughts to add to this chapter. Young did such a fabulous job, all I could do was read slowly and allow myself to believe what he wrote. He finished up the chapter with these words: Right now, by His grace and by His power, He is saying to us, 'Give me your art supplies.' I want to do the painting. I'm the Artist. I can take your inadequate attempt at finger-painting and make the canvas of your life into something breathtakingly beautiful.'

So what's stopping us?