Handcrafted With Love

I remember the very first time I had a handcrafted, specialty latte. I'm not talking about Starbucks here... I mean a "real, takes a million years to make, costs more than a semester of college tuition, but is so totally worth it" latte. From the very moment they handed me the warm porcelain mug filled to overflowing with delicious organic coffee and topped with frothy almond milk, I was in coffee heaven. I literally giggled with pleasure. There was something about the knowledge that my coffee had been made with extreme care and attention to every minute detail, right down to the heart-shaped pattern of foam on top, that gave me outright joy. Humans are a lot like specialty lattes. Just like the first ingredients in every latte are coffee beans, water, and a little milk, every human is born with a mind, body, and soul. And although every latte starts out the same, the addition of flavors makes for a variety-filled menu. This is also true of human beings. We all start out the same, but the influence of our family, culture, education, and experiences shapes us into different people. We each have different personalities... Some of us are bold and robust while others of us are sweet and savory. We all come together to form the wonderfully flavorful, variety-filled menu that is LIFE. But perhaps the final, most striking similarity between specialty lattes and humans is that both are handcrafted by a master barista. God, our Creator, has handcrafted each and every one of us for His divine purpose. He created us with the utmost care, giving attention to every aspect of our creation. Like a warm, flavorful, specialty coffee, He created us with the very best ingredient: He created us out of LOVE. Therefore, every single person on this earth is a significant creation of incredible value! Just think... The One who created the sun and the moon and the oceans and the mountains... The One who created the mighty beasts of the jungle and the beautiful birds of the air... The One who placed Gandhi and Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa on this planet with a special purpose in mind for each of them... He was the One who looked around this earth and saw exactly what was missing from His divine plan: YOU. In a world where our significance is defined by the awards we receive, the amount of money we make, or the number of likes we get on Instagram, it can be incredibly difficult to remember our worth in God's eyes. But we must never forget that God only creates things of beauty and of value. If you are here, living and breathing and reading these words, then you are a person of beauty and tremendous value. But on those days when it becomes hard to remember our significance as human beings, I invite you to cling to these words of comfort and encouragement: You are a significant part of God's Creation. You have incredible value in this world as a child of God. You were handcrafted with love by the One who loves you beyond measure. And of course, always remember the words of our Good Lord: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." (Jeremiah 1:5)

#creation #value #truebeauty #seekingbeauty #femininedignity #femininegenius