Stamped with the Maker’s Mark | June 11th, 2017

Back in 2009, after a fun, family antiquing excursion in Nashville, I began collecting vintage costume jewelry to repurpose into adjustable rings. I had no idea how quickly it would turn into a side business for me. I soon had a website up and running along with several boutiques carrying my handmade rings.

I also had no idea how difficult it would be to continue to find very old jewelry in near-perfect condition. No one wants to buy jewelry that looks well-worn, even if it has a good excuse for being several decades old!

Needless to say, I spent a lot of hours hunting for vintage treasures to repurpose, browsing antique shops and attending shows all across Texas and even in Arkansas, my old stomping grounds from when I was in college. Many of the pieces were handmade during the 1940s and ’50s – the most magnetizing decades for me during my treasure hunts. I am so drawn to the style, materials, colors, and overall look from these fabulous eras.

I have found, after years of looking for old, nearly perfect pieces, that the very best always seem to have a name stamped on the back. They were created by designers who had a reputation for using high quality materials and for their craftsmanship.

The stamp indicates the maker’s mark. Here is an example from one of my favorite 1950s designers Hollycraft known for using stunning pastel-colored rhinestones in their jewelry:

You are God’s Masterpiece

Did you know that you are also stamped with the Maker’s mark? God stamped you permanently with His signature as the Master Artist when He created you. How amazing to think the Creator of the entire universe is also your Creator!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

In Latin, the word masterpiece is magnum opus meaning “great work.” It is defined as a creation that is considered the greatest work of a person’s career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, or workmanship. How incredibly valuable you are as God’s very own masterpiece!

Your Value to God

One of the greatest struggles we go through in this life is with our feelings of self-worth. We often base them on what other people tell us about ourselves, our past achievements, or the things we own. But people and things fail us. Feelings of worthlessness often lead to depression which can then lead to suicide, a major epidemic here in the U.S. that is only getting worse.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the overall suicide rate in America rose by 24% from 1999 to 2014. There were 42,773 people who died from suicide in 2014 compared with 29,199 in 1999, lifting the nation’s suicide rate to 13 per 100,000 people.

The good news is that people and things are not the authority on your self-worth. The only One who has that authority is Jesus Christ who loves you so much He gave His own life by dying on a cross so you could live with Him for all eternity. That is how valuable you are!

The Bible has so much to say about our value to God. One of my favorite passages is in Psalm 139:13-18:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

God knew you and gave you value before you were even born. He had a plan for your life for you to do good things with your skills and abilities to bring Him glory. He knew exactly how many days you would be here on this earth. Therefore, your worth is not actually of the “self” at all. It is given to you by God who paid the greatest price for you. There is NOTHING you have done or can do to ever earn your value.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8

If you can shift your focus away from trying to build up your “self-worth” with insignificant things like the way you look, how much money you make, and how many achievements you can accomplish onto how much God loves you, that is when you will be able to truly understand your value – when you see yourself as God sees you…as His very beloved child!

See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a

Marked with a Seal

When you believe in Jesus as your Savior, you are given another mark. It is the seal of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word that is translated as “seal” is shragizo, meaning “to mark with a seal.” Back in biblical times, a seal was used to guarantee a document. The Holy Spirit is your seal, guaranteeing that the moment you accept Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for your sin, you are promised an eternal inheritance with Him. No one can ever break that seal!

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

You have proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life when you see evidence of a transformed heart, giving you a desire to please God and obey His commands, love others, and a passion to know Him by spending time with Him in prayer and reading His Word.

The next time you have any thoughts or feelings of worthlessness, just remember you have the Maker’s mark from the Master Artist and you are a beautiful masterpiece! But not just any masterpiece…one that God values so much He paid the highest price with His only Son’s shed blood so you could be guaranteed the incredible gift of eternal life. And that is priceless.

Spiritual Sparklers

Sparkler #1: Prayer

Ask God to shift your focus away from the insignificant things in life that do not have any authority on your worth and toward your immeasurable value to God.

Sparkler #2: Action

When you find yourself doubting your worth, spend some time in God’s Word which is filled with truths about His love for you and your incredible value to Him as His child.

Sparkler #3: Challenge

Be aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life, listening to His guidance and allowing Him to transform your heart where you need change so you can better reflect the Master Artist to all who see you, His beautiful masterpiece!

Kimberly Moore is a blogger, speaker, and author of Beauty in a Life Repurposed and Kingdom Sparkle. To learn more, visit her website at kingdomsparkle.com.

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