Wonderfully

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

One of the most common things we do in society is to greet and be greeted by other people. Salutations vary in our culture, some proper and some casual. One of the more familiar parts of a greeting is the question, “How are you?” I often try to respond to that in an upbeat, perhaps mildly humorous manner, with responses including “great, marvelous, peachy keen, or fantabulous.” (I actually didn’t know that last one is a real word until just now!) There is another response among my regulars: “Wonderful! I am full of wonder!” Some days I am full of wonder: wonder as I consider the awesome works of God around me. (Read a little more on this in my post Awe.) Other days I am full of wonder: wonder if I will get anything on my task list accomplished. If I tell you that I am “full of wonder,” you will wonder which one I mean.

It is true in another way that I am full of wonder—and so are you. Psalm 139 stands out from most of the other psalms by the intimate way the writer describes God’s knowledge of us. The psalm tells us of a God who is present regardless of where we are, from the highest heights to the deepest depths. It tells of a God who knew us even before our physical bodies began to take shape. (Admit it; that’s pretty awesome!) The psalm tells of a God who intricately knits together every part of our body while in our mother’s womb. And with the knowledge we have now through science, we can think of that as more than just the thigh bone connected to the hip bone. God begins at the microscopic level of DNA strands that carry the genetic instruction for our unique existence. When Jesus told his hearers that the Father knows the number of hairs on their heads (Luke 12:7), he was only scratching the surface of God’s intimate knowledge. Indeed, you and I are made full of wonder.

This leads me to consider the notion of esteem. As a society we like to see people have a healthy regard for human worth, both their own and that of others. We have seen all too often the effects of low esteem through the disregard we have for human life. The way we teach esteem usually comes in the form of self-esteem. We teach young people that they should think highly of themselves, to have respect and admiration for themselves. And that is not a bad thing. What we could do better, though, is in showing them why they should have such respect.

Long ago I heard a friend and colleague preach on this, making a distinction between self-esteem and God-esteem (his term). It has stuck with me since. Both work toward the same goal. However, in my opinion, God-esteem provides better resources and offers a healthier perspective. Self-esteem says, “you are great, because, well, just because you are.” God-esteem says, “you are great because the Creator of the Universe loved the idea of your existence, and put you together as an awesome display of His power.” In the first, my esteem is established through the recommendation of other people or by my own pride. In the second, my esteem is established through the immutable declaration of God. It sure seems that one is much more solid ground than the other.

If you find yourself desiring to behold the majesty and beauty of God’s creation, just remember that you don’t need to schedule a trip to see snow-capped mountains or deep canyons. Just go look in the mirror. YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made.