Have you ever waited in a long line in an airport or amusement park looking around in amazement at how every single person looks different? For the most part they have the same components to their head: two eyes, a nose, two nostrils, two ears, a mouth, chin, forehead, and cheeks, yet the subtle differences between those features create endless combinations of human faces assuring us that our own is truly unique.

For those of us who draw portraits, this truth becomes evident very quickly. We can work on a face for hours, fine tuning the shape of the head and jaw, the angle of the nose and tilt of the eyebrow. Staring intently at each feature, it can look perfect, yet when we step back and look at the face in total, something is wrong, it doesn’t look like the model. It may just be the smallest thing, a laugh line at the edge of the left eye or a gentle lift to the right side of the mouth. Make that slight change, and the person emerges from the page.

Artists like to draw and paint from live models because photographs only record an instant of the person and they rarely capture the soul. Live models may wiggle and blink, but it is in those actions that their humanity is revealed. Think about the photos we see of ourselves. Some seem to look like us and others really don’t.

God the Father is the ultimate sculptor. We are the work of his hand, and we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The curve of our jaw, line of our hair, and shape of our nose were chosen carefully and thoughtfully for each of us alone. We were not designed to be static models caught in a perfect instant of light and high-definition cameras. Let’s be grateful for our own unique features, and smile knowing we were created in God’s image.

Scripture: Read Isaiah 64:7. What stands out?

Call to Action: Thank the Lord for his gift of your unique countenance.