Seek First: Day 2- Marvelously Made!
Today’s Treasure: Read Psalm 100:3 and 139:13-16
When was the last time you heard someone exclaim, “Body and soul, I am marvelously made!”? In fact, let’s be honest, how would we response to someone who actually spoke those words aloud? A strange look? A polite nod? All while we inwardly muse, “My isn’t she FULL OF HERSELF?”
In a world where most people long to change their bodies and more still fail to see the beauty of a redeemed soul, few would declare themselves “marvelously made.” Yet God, through the inspired pen of King David, proclaims that we are. Despite our body shape, size or color; regardless of our hair style, our makeup or our muscle tone, God says we are “marvelous.” Uniquely made, each one of us has been fashioned by the very hands of God. As an artist takes pride in her masterpieces, so God revels in delight with each life He has shaped. Take time to absorb that truth. God not only made you; He delights in you! In the candid words of Pastor Max Lucado, “If God had a refrigerator; your picture would be on it.”
Our own self-image directly impacts our children’s view of God. If we recognize our own uniqueness and celebrate who God made us to be, then our children will learn to celebrate God’s fingerprints on their own makeup. On the contrary, if our children hear us complaining about the way we were created or if they catch us criticizing our own (or others’) unique design, then they will learn to question God’s handiwork and devalue His creation.
A woman named Julia tells her story in Why Beauty Matters:
When I was very young, I thought my mother was beautiful…Then one day, I saw her look in the mirror and grimace at her reflection. I was confused. I asked her what was the matter and she said she looked “ghastly” without makeup. I also remember her complaining she had nothing to wear even thought I thought her wardrobe was vast and magical. By the time I was six or seven, I realized that my beautiful mother did not think she was beautiful at all. That made me sad…I remember wondering why someone as beautiful as my mother would think she was ugly. And then why did she tell me I was so pretty? What did it mean to be pretty? Was I pretty enough to look in the mirror and like what I see?
May we seek to see ourselves as God’s chosen and precious creation, so that our children will be free to see themselves in the same way!
Parents’ Pondering: What about my unique design have I struggled to reconcile as a piece of God’s “marvelous handiwork?”
Today, imagine your self photo hanging on God’s fridge and ask Him to give you a glimpse of His pleasure when He looks at you. Take time to communicate to your children the ways their unique design gives you pleasure.
