I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  Psalms 139:14

What is it to be fearfully and wonderfully made?  I believe it relates back to our value as God's sons and daughters.  When you consider what monetary item you value most, what comes to mind?  Is it your jewelry, photographs, your furniture; perhaps it is your car that means the most to you.  When you consider the "thing" that really excites you, put it to the test.  Is your string of pearls "fearfully and wonderfully made"?  How about the car, is it a masterpiece perfectly constructed for an amazing purpose?  No material object can make that claim.

Human beings are the only "things" that can be fearfully and wonderfully made by God.  We are created with such intricacy and forethought that each of us is as unique as a snowflake. I believe that and have great appreciation for that fact, but what about those days when I hate my body.  When I feel it is betraying me and I am beyond frustrated by my physical imperfections?  

Four years ago I received a diagnosis, not a death sentence, but a life changing diagnosis.  I have a chronic autoimmune liver disease that, as of today, does not have a cure.  Most days I take my medicine and rarely think about it.  Then there are days that I struggle with fear and hopelessness and anxiety supplemented by intense itching.  It can drive me crazy.  It's the kind of itching that makes you want to peel back your skin like the husk on an ear of corn.  I endure, and after a few weeks, it subsides and all is well with the world.

How can I, in the dark overnight hours when I am itching and want nothing more than an escape from my physical body, be fearfully and wonderfully made?   The only way I can make sense of it is through the truth that my value to Him never changes.  When the episodes are over and I regain perspective, I imagine our Heavenly Father whispering words of love to me.  A kind embrace and a warm touch ensuring me that He was with me through the night and when I reached the abyss of exhaustion, He held me and put me to sleep.

When our kids were little and sometimes past the point of exhaustion, my sweet husband would wrap them in his arms and hold them tight through the crying until they finally gave up and reluctantly slid into a deep slumber.  I used to hate watching it and had such a difficult time listening to them cry, but he knew that we had to override their desire to stay awake to reset their small body clocks. 

God loves us even more than we love our own children.  His value for us is priceless.  Why don't we treat ourselves and others accordingly?  You are worth more than a car, a new wardrobe, a designer purse, God adores you and when you don't act like it, the most amazing thing happens, He loves us anyway.