Put Together
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. Jeremiah 1:5
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand - when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:13-18
Insight
I have a love and hate relationship with IKEA. They satisfy my belly with Swedish meatballs, but they frustrate my mind with their elaborate directions and Allen wrenches. One needs an engineering degree if they have any hope of assembling a simple bookshelf correctly. The allure of their reasonable prices bumps up against the tension of their "easy" ready-to-assemble furniture.
Somehow furnishing a house with them can simultaneously be entertaining and discouraging. The wordless directions have you wondering how all of these random pieces come together. Numerous times in the assembly process I've caught myself muttering, "This makes no SENSE! Why would they put it together this way!?!?!"
The same sentiment comes out of my mouth and runs through my head when I stare at the reflection in the mirror. The imperfections. The shortcomings. The quirks. The errors. Fearfully and wonderfully made? Far from it. I think we all naturally doubt the truth found in today's passage that speaks of the care and thought God took in crafting each one of us.
Instead of handcrafted, we feel hastily put together. Rather than accept, we question and protest. We wonder why God made us the way He did. In those moments, we fail to see how our insecurities reek of arrogance. It would be crazy of me to take a trip to the headquarters of the Swedish giant and belligerently shake their directions in the air and demand they alter their design plan.
Who understands the product better: the designer or the befuddled guy wondering where the dowels go? The answer is obvious. The only person who knows us better than ourselves is the One who formed our body and ordained our days.
God doesn't make mistakes. He made you on purpose with a purpose. You're not mass produced. Every detail about you is intentional. There's a reason you are YOU. Embrace it. Utilize your uniqueness for His glory. Allow God to reveal the person you were created to be as you walk with Him in obedience. Step by step, He will forge His character into your heart.
Reflection
Where do you struggle to see yourself as fearfully and wonderfully made?
What makes you unique? How can you utilize your uniqueness to make Christ's name known?
Prayer
God, You breathed life into me. Like a great artist, You created me. Even though I don't often feel like a masterpiece, that is what You call me. I will rest knowing that every detail of who I am, You know and You love. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
