I wrote the following article when I had just turned seventeen. Looking back, I really believe that the Lord was speaking to me. When I was merely seventeen, I was not in a good place spiritually, nor emotionally. But one day, I was in my room looking at my peacock painting and admiring its beauty. It was in that moment when I truly felt the Lord say to me, "This is how I feel about you." Even though this is something I still struggle to believe sometimes, I feel like it needs to be shared publicly because it's true. I've polished the article up a bit, so it's not the exact same as it was when I first wrote it.

Think. How many times have you insulted yourself in one way or another? How many times have you said, "I'm ugly," or "I'm stupid"? To us, it’s no big deal. It’s how we feel sometimes. But take a moment to consider who made you.

I made this watercolor peacock painting my sophomore year in high school. I am so proud of it. I love it. How would I feel if it could talk and told me every day how ugly it is? I would be hurt. I would say, “But, Peacock, I love you! I made you. You are my most prized possession. I hang you on my wall for others to admire your beauty. How could you say that when I can hear you? How could you say that at all?”

How does He feel when we say things like, “I am ugly. I do not like my height, my eye color, my weight, or my voice."? He says, “But I love you! I made you. You are my most prized possession. I sent you to the world for others to admire your beauty. How could you say that when I can hear you? How could you say that at all?”

You see, it's the same thing. We are God's artwork. Metaphorically, we are His peacocks, too. So when we insult ourselves, we are throwing dirt onto His creation. It's a hard thing to grasp, but it's true.