This world has messed me up. Maybe it’s messed you up too.

It’s like we start our lives as portraits, those we can’t define by ourselves. We study the lines and try to understand the coloring, the shading, and what the overall design is supposed to be. Who we are supposed to be.

But then we venture into the world, and we meet people. We ask them what they think about our portraits and what it all means. Some people are nice. Some, not so much. We meet manipulators, abusers, narcissists, and the like. They not only smear the edges of our portraits, but some of them even shred the paper itself, leaving us torn. Damaged beyond recognition. Emotionally tattered.

But God began something good in us long ago when He first created our portraits, and He hasn’t given up on us.

Perhaps He’s simply been waiting for the day when we would stop looking to the world for answers and our purpose. Maybe our heavenly Father has been waiting all along with outstretched arms for us to come running to Him with our bloodied knees and scraped-up elbows, tears streaming down our dirty faces so we would bring Him our portraits—those that others have ripped from our hands only to carelessly drop in the mud as if they were mere trash.

Our heavenly Father wants to take hold of us and our stained and crumpled portraits. He wants to smooth them so we can see who we’ve always been.

His children.

No matter what words were used to strike you down, my friend. No matter the manipulative selfish agendas of others. When you surrender your portrait entirely to God, it is safe in His hands where He can keep drawing and designing you and the life He wants you to live.

Surrender it all to Him.

The world and its distorted views may dismiss you and your life as merely trivial, messed-up, nothing of great value. It may even label you least, weak, or as an underdog who’s never going to make it.

But God knows the truth because He is the truth.

Why look anywhere else for answers?

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6b NIV.)

“O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.” (Psalm 7:1-2 NIV.)