Awesomely

             I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)

There’s a part in The Truth Project in which a little girl describes what happens when you cut your finger, in far more technical terms than most adults could probably manage. Undoubtedly, she was well-coached, probably better coached than the many who have become “experts” on immunology and epidemiology in the past two years. But the little girl’s scripted point strikes home. The human body is amazing, and for that matter, so are all the non-human bodies from microbe to the universe as a whole.

If you’re like me, there are some things about your body you don’t find quite so amazing. Or, you might find them amazing in a negative way. But that fat that  you want to get rid of is a tanker full of the gas on which your body functions. It’s also a layer of insulation against cold. And think about your skin. Not only is it the outer wall that protects your biological castle, but it’s also a sensory organ and provides the means to heat and cool the castle. And I’d have to invite Michael Behe to share his findings about the microscopic factories that are the nucleuses of our cells or Stephen Meyer to describe how the basis of life is information.

Moving on to a topic of which I have a little better knowledge, have you considered how amazing it is that you are you? Unless there were some repetitions, it took more than one thousand people in the past ten generations for you to exist.

But how often do we think of ourselves as “awesomely and wonderfully made”? More often, I complain about how my ankle, hip, or back hurt; or how fat I am, or how weak, or how ugly, old, tired, incompetent… Feel free to add your own negatives either about me, or about yourself.

During this month of thanksgiving, I’m trying to build some better mental habits. Going back to today’s passage and the first paragraph, I am amazed at the body God has given me. Even putting aside all of the biological, chemical, and physical processes, I seem to amaze other people, in both good and bad ways. I know things. I have tenacity (AKA stubbornness) that just doesn’t quit. I can speak  and sing in front of an audience. I can drive 2200 miles in four days. I’m raising caterpillars and plants to feed myself and the butterflies. I’m writing my third novel. I can walk the dog, after dark, and do plastic canvas stitchery by flashlight. I’m trying to become the sort of person who is the sort of person I think God wants me to become. I’ve read more than 70 books this year. I’m learning to do interesting things.

I’m not saying any of that to tell you what a wonderful person I am. In fact, the only reason I’m making the list at all is because of today’s passage. I challenge you to start a list, too. Add one thing per day, or ten things per day, or just spend one day working on your list. And – thank God for these things, on a daily basis if need be, until your mind stops telling you that it’s not true, that, instead, you are just the last in an unending series of accidents and mistakes, or that you are worthless.  We are awesomely and wonderfully made – and you (and we need to learn that, and to acknowledge it.)