I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
Psalm 139:14 NRSV
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 NRSV
Have you ever stood before the mirror and been unhappy with the way you looked? I know there have been times I have avoided looking in the mirror altogether, not wanting to see the parts of me that I have felt are too big, too long, and too bumpy. I have looked in the mirror and felt myself lacking in some way. Maybe you have, too. We are critical of our own appearance – every time we turn on the television or the radio, or open a magazine, we are bombarded with society’s picture of beauty. As a mother of two girls, I do not want my daughters to look at themselves the way society teaches them to look at themselves.
Recently I was reflecting on Psalm 139, one of my absolute favorite psalms. After spending some time thinking about how God knows everything about us – what we think, where we go, what we say, and what we need (verses 1-5) – I paused at verse 14 and read this: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.“ David’s words cut straight to my heart of fears about how I look. They make me pause and I am reminded that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Another word for fearfully in this context is “awesomely.“ So I am awesomely and wonderfully made.
Taking this a step further, Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.“
Think about these truths for a moment, and let them penetrate your heart. You are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. He made you especially as you are, and His works are wonderful. When we believe we are lacking or that if we wear that or that if we nip and tuck here and there – what we are really saying is that we are not happy with God’s workmanship.
Today I choose to believe the truth about myself. I hope you will believe the same truth about yourself. We are fearfully and wonderfully made… in the image of God.
Notes of Joy © 2017 by Pacific Press Publishing Association