Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

The writer of the 139^th  Psalm, King David, expressed centuries ago what science now proclaims – the magnificence and complexity of our human minds.  Not only are we the only species to inhabit planet earth that has a soul; within our marvelous framework we have the ability to reflect God’s image in using His gifts of creativity and intellect. Only people build bridges and hospitals, write novels and compose symphonies.  God, who loves to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11) revels in endless variety.  Just look at us!   

Recently I had the opportunity to take a course that challenged us to develop God given talents and strengths for ministry.  This course utilized findings from the Gallup International Research & Education Center.  The research included findings from two million interviews taken over the last thirty years.  We learned that not only is the human brain amazingly complex –  but that each of our unique talents are formed early on – in the womb!  “Your synapses create your talents.  So how are your synaptic connections made?  Forty-two days after you are conceived, your brain experiences a four-month growth spurt.  Actually, the word “spurt” doesn’t do justice to the sheer scale of what happens.  On your forty-second day you create your first neuron, and 120 days later you have a hundred billion of them.  That’s a staggering 9,500 new neurons every second...”  (from Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph. d   

The psalmist talked of God making all our delicate inner parts.  God must have been ecstatic the day He created the human brain – that amazing part of us that holds our talents, capabilities and dreams  – what a creation – what a gift!   How God must have smiled.  What obvious delight the Father takes in us, His beloved children.   

My mother’s passion is painting portraits.  She likes to paint pictures of famous people.  I remember portraits in the house of President John Kennedy and Ghandi.  But she also liked to paint pictures of someone else.  When I was growing up, she often painted pictures of me.  That made me feel incredibly loved! To think that she determinately spent hours and hours creating my image.  Think how that concept is magnified with God’s love for us!  He created each of us in His image and took the time and effort to put together each minute piece of our personalities, physical features, dominant thinking patterns and talents.  He considered every detail, and how we would all fit together for a specific purpose.     

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” [emphasis mine]  (Matthew 22:36,37) 

Loving God with all our heart and soul are natural responses when the grace of God is revealed to us.  We can’t work our way to heaven, but certainly acts of love and compassion are one way to show God we love Him.  What are some good ways to love God with all our minds?  Studying His Word is essential to growth in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Another step in loving God with all our minds is getting to know the mind God gave us, and using our intellect in service to others.   It’s worth further investigation.  Not only will we grow in usefulness to the body of Christ, but an increased understanding of the unique way God made each one of us makes one feel incredibly loved. 

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  Psalm 139:13-16  New Living Translation

Positive and Optimistic and (gulp) Troubles

Uhggg...troubles again.  Seems like some troubles are like what they used to call a broken record that plays over and over.  Now, they may be likened to that skip on a CD that messes up the song every time it is played, never goes away and is very annoying.  That's what trouble is like.


Along come this guy named James.  He grew up with a perfect brother, and even though Jame's brother never did anything wrong, a lot of trouble came his way.  And to James, the whole thing was annoying - at least for a long while.


Later in life after he had been through a whole lot of things, James tells us that is the exact opposite of our normal experiences.  He ways, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy".  Huh?  What's good about trouble.  The first thing we do when trouble comes normally is to pray or at least wish it would just go away and leave us alone.  James goes on to say, "for you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing (James 1:2-4 NLT).


Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stay put and endure something that is indeed troublesome.  This Scripture passage acknowledges that troubles come our way and not for the purpose of teaching us to dodge them or be in denial about their existence.  Then again we don't want to be so focused on our troubles that they tend to define us...so what is James talking about?  Just hanging on until our troubles go away seems senseless.  So what is "joyful" about all of this?  


The joy isn't due to the bad things that have happened.  The joy is in what is happening to our faith as we are being tested.  Endurance, patience and maturity are beautiful things and they do not happen unless we are put through hard and difficult things. That's just the way it works.  The people whom we love and admire for having great characters probably became that way because they have suffered in some way.  If we can find even that small seed of faith to offer to God some trust when something bad happens, then He grows our faith and we become stronger - and more positive and optimistic.  This stronger faith allows us to see the hand of God working in even the strangest of circumstances.  The blossoming of our faith is precious to Him, and He delights in our growing trust of Him. And when we have found that the next time trouble comes and we are not shaken we realize our faith is stronger, we are more confident that God is going to faithfully take care of us no matter what, and that is reason for joy. 


And, by the way, did you know that the "perfect brother" of James was Jesus?  Yes, James learned these words from his life experiences.  James saw great and fearsome trouble turn into joy because of the outcome of Jesus' life.   

Captain of Our Soul

"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.  My victory and honor come from God alone.  He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.  O my people, trust in Him at all times.  Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge."  Psalm 62:5-8 (NLT)


We live in a world that subscribes to the theory that we are the captains of our own destiny.  While there is certainly consequence for our actions and we are responsible for our own choices and decisions - to think that we create our own future is false.  If we are blessed with health, a nurturing family and prosperity - it is by the grace of God.  Our good choices along the way certainly help but no one has control over to whom we are born, and what country we are raised.  We do not control a million circumstantial elements in our lives that impinge upon us.  We can only control our response to such circumstances.  All of this is stated as a precursor to dissecting the cultural thought process that if were are the captain of our souls we must make things happen.  Such an attitude can easily lead to selfish pursuits like pushing our way to the top for the sake of being number one and a host of other self-centered things.  In other words, if we are the "captains of our souls" then it is all about us.  And that where that line of thinking goes haywire. It is never all about us.


What I love about the above Psalm is that it models quietly waiting before the Lord and understanding that the battles in our lives will be won by the strength and power we find in Him.  There is such great relief when we realize our destiny is not all about what we do, but what He does from within us as we trust in Him, wait on Him and seek His direction.  He is a God of refuge who can be trusted with every hope, dream and desire in our hearts.  Oh, Jesus, the captain of our souls. 


"Yes, He knows what is best for me.  My environment is of His determining.  He means it to intensify my faith, to draw me into nearer communion  with Himself, to ripen my power...Yet let me believe that , if difficulties remain, it is that I may learn to trust Him all the more implicitly  - to trust and not be afraid."  - Mrs. Charles E. Cowman -