For you formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ~ Psalm 139:13-15
I’m going to get a little science geek on you this week. When I was in high school my favorite all-time class was anatomy. Science and the way the organic world works fascinate me. And yeah, I’m that weird kid that loved to dissect animals. In my junior year of high school we dissected minks, it lit a fire inside of me. How living things are so intricately put together to live and breath and move… how can it not be by design? I went to a public school and my anatomy teacher, also my all-time favorite teacher… shout out to Mrs. D… said the same thing in class. But that was all she said. I still to this day know nothing about her personal beliefs but I was grateful for the comment. And she might just be a contributing factor to my becoming a nurse.
May I be so bold as to say, humans are created by design? All creation is created by design. And yes, it is wonderful and awe-inspiring. Our Creator is amazing and creation begs for us to pay attention. Colossians 1:17 says… in Him all things hold together. And Hebrews 1:3 says … He upholds the universe by the word of His power…
And yet, He thinks of little ol’ me… and you. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our frame is made in the secret place of God’s own imagination and then brought to flesh in the innermost parts of our mother’s womb. Check out how a fetus develops; it is an incredible process and somehow the Psalmist knew without the advantage of science as we know it to make that statement.
A lot is spinning around in our nation related to this very subject. I don’t want to get all political about it. I just want to point out what an amazing Creator we have and how awe-inspiring human development is from conception to birth to even death. And maybe I want to remind you how very precious you and your body are.
I’m gonna take a little turn in this conversation into something personal to me. Some of you know I haven’t always been friends with my own body. Whether it had to do with body image and being on the verge of anorexia, or being premenopausal and my gastrointestinal system running amuck, I have had some words to say to my Creator, and they weren’t always friendly.
But in this process of growing, I learned to change (a little – still have room for improvement). In my griping to God about my most recent health issues, He reminded me of this very section of scripture. And I have felt inspired to pray and confess these words over myself. And you know what? While I’m still not 100%, there are far more good days than bad days when it comes to my health. And my appreciation of my own body has increased when I think about the trouble God has made to create me in the first place. What do you appreciate about the body He has given you? Maybe we all would be more productive if we focused more on the amazing creations we are.
For this week’s Take a moment I want to share the confession I pray over myself, why don’t you join me:
Thank You, Father God, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Thank you that my body works perfectly according to Your design.
I am healed and whole from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Every system works perfectly according to your design.
(This is where I note any particular body systems that I may need to shore up. For example: Thank You my nervous system is healed and whole).
Thank You, my body is a blessing to me, and not a distraction;
my body is a benefit and not a hindrance;
it helps me accomplish all You have called me to on a daily basis,
without distress, but with peace.
I know at least for me having an attitude of thanks for the body God has given me has made a world of difference. And while I know we live in a broken, imperfect world, His design for me and you are still good.
And that my soul knows very well.
