“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

Because I’m a cold-natured gal, I have blankets all over my living room. Anytime I sit down, I snuggle up.

But there’s one blanket in particular that’s more valuable to me than all the others. I love to get under its warmth, pull it up to my chin and sink into the memories of my Grandma Dohm. You see, my grandmother made that blanket for me.

When I lie under it, my imagination goes a little wild. I ponder all the work and love my grandmother invested as she knitted for hours, thinking of and praying for me. She devoted her time and heart to making something precious and lasting for me.

That description doesn’t just apply to my grandmother’s blanket. In a much deeper way, you are precious and lasting! I love the way Psalm 139:13-14 says it, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (NIV).

God spent immeasurable care in the planning, creating and knitting together of you. I can picture Him delighting in you and the purpose He was weaving into you. He must have had a grin stretching from one divine ear to the other as He dreamed you up!

God loves you simply because He made you.

But is that hard to believe today?

Maybe you’re having a bad day … or maybe you’ve never felt worthy of love.

Perhaps you’re stumbling over past mistakes, failures and sins, feeling undeserving and undesirable.

Some of us were handed the label of “unlovable.” Or maybe you always feel like the outsider, never experiencing the joy of belonging.

When we feel unlovable, we can learn from David, who said, “I’m fearfully and wonderfully made.” If not for the phrase before it —“I praise you” — that statement would be nothing but bragging. “I praise you” is the essential piece our self-love culture is missing. The first part of the verse makes the second part true. If we start with the praise of our Creator, then loving ourselves becomes the overflow. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (emphasis added).

In praising God, loving ourselves becomes an act of worship toward our Creator.

Not long ago, a friend made me put this idea into practice. When I shared these thoughts with her, she said, “I want to hear you put this into action! How do you love yourself? What do you love about who you are and how God created you?”

I hesitated, and then started a list:

• I praise God for giving me a passion for justice.
• I thank Him for the compassion He’s woven into me.
• God created me to teach. I’m so thankful I love doing it!
• And even though I got teased as a little girl, I like that my nose turns up at the end a little bit.
• I praise God because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Just like the blanket my grandmother knit for me, you are one of a kind. You’re not a replica. You aren’t mass-produced, hot off the presses and stacked on the shelf just like every other one. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by your adoring Creator. On days when you feel unlovable, embrace the fact that you’re immensely loved!

Lord, I may feel I’m unworthy of love, but I thank You for Your deep, deep love for me. Because You created me, I worship You by loving who You made me to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY

1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” (NIV)

Ephesians 2:4-5, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES

Do you ever get intimidated by the Bible? Do you find yourself wondering, “How can I possibly understand it?” P31 Online Bible Studies and First 5 have teamed up to create a study that will help you understand the whole Bible in just 40 days! In The Answers to Your Deepest Longings: 40 Days Through the Bible, you will take a journey through the storyline of the Bible so you can see major themes, how they are all connected and what that means for us as we read the Bible today. The study kicks off September 7, so sign up today!

Have you tried and failed to love yourself? In Amy’s book, Exhale: Lose Who You’re Not, Love Who You Are, Live Your One Life Well, you’ll learn a biblical foundation for loving who God made you to be that blows away any affirmations or self-love solutions.

CONNECT

If you and your friends need a pandemic pick-me-up, Amy has great resources for you today! Hop on over to Amy’s blog to download a free PDF. Also, enter to win 5 copies of her book, Exhale, along with a Leader’s Guide containing everything you’ll need to create a small group.

REFLECT AND RESPOND

Make a list of the things you love about the way God created you.

Study your list for a moment, and then give God thanks for it. This is worship!

Now do something brave, and share one of the things you love about the way God created you in the comments. Let’s worship God together over His amazing creation!

© 2020 by Amy Carroll. All rights reserved.