Bible Reading: Psalm 139:13-18 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Psalm 139:14
GOD IS into wild variety. Have you ever thought about God’s creativity? Every species of plants and animals is unique. Among the countless varieties of fish, for example, he designed some with spectacular coloring, some huge, others tiny. Marlin and manta ray, swordfish, shark, eel, and anglerfish all contribute to God’s rich, colorful world of water life.
People love a world filled with variety too. Nikki paints striking watercolors, constantly searching for new subjects. Not satisfied with the garden in her backyard, she drives into the city for urban scenes or to a state park for forest images. Neal can sing every syllable of every song the classic Christian group Petra has ever recorded. But he also enjoys new groups.
Jesus, too, showed he liked a mix of people. He chose twelve disciples to live with him for three years, and they were radically different from each other. Some of them couldn’t scrub away the smell of the fish they handled for a living. Matthew, on the other hand, probably reeked of expensive perfume when Jesus called him. One disciple probably had family connections in the high priest’s administration. John seemed tenderhearted. Peter was often hard-nosed.
If God and Jesus, his Son, find variety and contrast appealing, and if we crave variety ourselves, then there’s no way we should expect that God would make all of us alike. And all those stereotypes we create of who is “beautiful” or who is “better” they’re a lie!
You are unique. Of the six billion people alive right now on this planet, there’s no one just like you. If there’s only one you-out of all those billions and billions of people-why would you want to be like someone else? Multitudes go through life envying the build, hair, talents, or abilities of other people. So start fixing your thoughts on the fact that God made you one of a kind and, as one child put it, “God don’t make no junk.”
Maybe you’re a jock and wish you were brainy. Or maybe you’re quiet and introspective and would prefer to be the life of the party. Every quality has something valuable about it, and you’re more likely to be at peace with yourself when you genuinely value the special personality qualities and skills God has given you-things that make you you! And when you appreciate those traits, you can work to develop them to the full.
REFLECT: Why did God make you the way you are?
PRAY: Lord, thank you for making me just the way I am. Help me to appreciate the unique things about me.
