Fearfully Made

Carter is now in P-2 at Victory, and he absolutely loves it. He has three 15 minute classes every day and he is learning so much! His first class is Bible, and they learn a verse every week. Last week he came home with his verse card... one of my favorites:

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

- Psalm 139:14a

I can't think of a better verse for Carter to devote to heart than this one. I know as he grows older he'll question why he's different from other children. He's already starting to realize that others don't have bags, that he doesn't have a belly button, and that the older children go to the potty. I never want him to question the fact that he was made perfectly in the sight of God, and that we wouldn't change a thing about him. Obviously if there are medical advances made that will benefit his quality of life, we'll pursue those avenues, but regardless he will be loved just as he is. When I think about this verse... I've always been baffled as to the meaning of "fearfully." I was sure God didn't want us to fear our existence in this world... so I took to the interwebs to find an original translation of the word. This is what I found:

"In the original Hebrew text, the word 'fearfully' means: with great reverence and heart-felt interest and respect. The word 'wonderfully' means: unique, set apart, uniquely marvelous."

There you have it. Not only are we made in the image of an Almighty God, but He made each of us with great reverence and heart-felt interest. Each of us are unique and marvelous in our own way, and most importantly, we are LOVED beyond measure. With that, I'd submit to you that Carter's birth defects are not defects at all, but rather blessings that have allowed us to experience the healing power of our Lord, and have enabled us to share His work in our life through this amazing child. My prayer is that every time Carter sees one of his scars, he remembers that Jesus suffered worse on the cross to make sure he had a way to an eternity in Heaven, and that God made him exactly the way he is for a purpose that may not yet be known. God makes no mistakes.