I've done my best to blend in, to be ordinary -- if that's what everyone else was. I've never tried to be better than anyone, only to measure up. To be normal.
Now here's what gets me: God didn't make me normal. He didn't make you normal.
Dig a little with me and read Psalm 139:14. (And don't roll your eyes because you've read it so many times!)
"I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well." (NASB)
Let's explore those bolded words.
Fearfully. From the root word meaning:
- to stand in awe of
- to be held in awe
- to put in fear, reverence
- to tremble
--> The same God who is all-powerful and worthy of fear and reverence is the same God who created me, as intricate and complex as I am.
Wonderfully. From the root word meaning:
- set apart
- become distinguished
- admirable
- to be distinct
- marked out
--> I never realized the meaning of wonderfully. I just thought that meant I was wonderful, and still not understanding what that meant either. But here, wonderfully comes from the Hebrew word palah, which means "set apart." I knew God created us individuals and sees each of us as each unique being... but to be set apart? To be distinct from the rest? That makes us different. That makes us not normal. That makes us something else...
Your works:
- the labor of His hands
- product, result
- things made
--> In this context, I believe David is specifically referring to us as God's work, as the product of His labor.
Wonderful. Similar to "wonderfully," but more pertaining to:
- marvelous
- beautiful
- extraordinary
--> Since we, God's "works," are the object of this adjective, those descriptions apply to us! We are marvelous. We are beautiful. We are extraordinary.
Very well. One word in Hebrew, meaning:
- exceedingly
- much
- abundantly
--> This same word is used in Deuteronomy 6:5. When God commanded us to love Him with all our strength, He is essentially saying, "Love Me exceedingly. Love Me so much that your strength depends on it." I believe "very well" in Psalm 139:14 is within the same context. "May your soul know that I have created you beautiful and extraordinary, set apart -- and may your strength depend on that knowledge." Essentially, when we are feeling inadequate, weak, not good enough, may we be reminded that those feelings are lies, and God has indeed made us wonderful -- and let that strengthen us.
I wasn't created to be normal. You weren't created to be normal. We. Are. Not. Normal. No change in thought, behavior or appearance will make that sentence any less true. We are, in fact, extraordinary. And He has forever marked us wonderful!
