Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Psalm 139 “Fearfully and wonderfully made”

Vs. 1-6 GOD, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!

Vs.7-12 There is no place that God isn’t.

Vs.13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

Vs.23-24 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.

It seems as if we are born with a need for affirmation in our lives. We want reassurance of our worth almost daily. Some need this more than others, depending upon their experiences in early formative years of childhood. All through school and even in the workforce, we find ourselves comparing our own checklists with those of our peers. From appearance to abilities, we start sorting out our strengths and weaknesses looking for ways of improving or hiding any scruples that we find. Unless you’ve had strong coaching from authority figures in your life in how to appreciate the way God made you, this can be a daunting task. Many don’t have this support. On the contrary, whether actually heard audibly or assumed due to the neglect of others, many are deeply wounded and have had their worth taken from them.

At almost 40 I’ve spent 20 years making mistakes and 20 years trying to move past those mistakes. People have hurt me and I’ve hurt people. My parents abandoned me. Step-parents were less than to be desired, to say the least. Relationships were difficult and I was left untrusting, craving affection, full of ungrounded emotions, and a yearning for peace. We aren’t paying attention when our lives begin to form knots and tangles then when we finally decide to try to sort it out, the task before us seems impossible. Along the way though, God did send gems and jewels into my life. People who kept my head above water and helped me get my feet back to shore each time the tides of life tried to carry me away from the shore of safety. These people I could never repay and I’m sure I was never able to fully express what they have meant to my life.

At the beginning of my 39th year, my New Year’s resolution was to “Let go of hurt and love more.” I can’t change anything, and everything I’ve experienced up to this point is part of who I am. The old saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’ is so true. Also, it’s important to concentrate on the strengths that God gave us instead of questioning whether God made a mistake in allowing us to exist. Sometimes we create the messes we find ourselves in, but God is faithful to help us the moment we ask for help. We may still have to face consequences, but God has a way of transforming mistakes into blessings in disguise. I’ve learned a lot, but still have a lot to learn.

Forgiveness of others, important. Forgiveness of self essential. Unforgiveness is a prison sentence. It doesn’t hurt the person you are upset with; in fact, they rarely even know that you have a problem with them. On the other hand, the hurt is kept inward and can poison you emotionally and physically. The stress of unforgiveness is such a burden. It’s understandable that we feel like we deserve, at least, an apology for the wrong that was done to us, but sometimes we will never get one. Sometimes we have to step out of our situation and try to see it from another angle. Perhaps the other person never intended to hurt us. So many factors are involved in motivating our actions and decisions and when you have interactions with others doing the same, the probability of conflict is inevitable. Sometimes we only afford forgiveness after we find ourselves guilty of making the same mistake that was made against us. Ultimately, if we want forgiveness from our heavenly Father, we must forgive those around us, even if they never ask for it.

God created Adam and Eve as a template, so to speak. Each one of us is a unique individual with varied abilities and endless possibilities of accomplishments. God doesn’t make junk and He loves us all equally. ‘Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”’ (Acts 10:34-35)  God loves us, we are his children. The enemy is always trying to convince us that we are worthless and weak. When we are actively following God and trying to live by His word, repenting daily of our shortcomings, God forgives us and loves us without reservation. His love for us is unconditional, but we decide our fate. Just as we receive rewards or face consequences here in this world for our actions, there is coming a judgement day where our eternal address will be determined. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. What we do with what we are given is up to us. We must also take time to recognize and acknowledge the worth of those around us. No man is an island and we all need each other.

Next 20 years: The Best is yet to come, which reminds me of a song:

The best is yet to come, when I walk through heaven’s gate.

 The first time I see Jesus, I can hardly wait.

 He’ll show me to my mansion, say child this is your home.

 I have this feeling in my heart; oh the best is yet to come.

Jack Campbell