Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

My birthday is tomorrow.

This time last year I was in a dark place – dwelling on my fears and failures. Because of that, and in an attempt to make this birthday the joyous day it should be, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve accomplished in the past 365 days.

I’ve finished the first draft of my book.

I’ve been on three vacations.

I’ve taken up painting, and have three canvases that I’m proud of hanging in my home. (Hopefully more to come!)

I’ve done welding. (Book research, but wouldn’t mind doing it again!)

I’ve made some progress on managing my anxiety.

I’ve made new friends.

And I couldn’t have done any of it without –

My husband, who supported me and took time off work so I could take two of three vacations on my own.

My family and friends who were there with a listening ear when I needed to talk.

My therapist who has shown me that I am stronger than my anxiety.

And most importantly, I couldn’t have accomplished anything without God…

whose promises are new every morning

whose love never fails

who takes the troubles that I cast into His capable hands

and makes them into something beautiful.

All of this to remind me of yet another truth in the pages of my bible – one that I have yet to embellish in the margins.

Ps 139:14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

We are all fearfully and  wonderfully made. All of us. From the greatest to the very least. 

Think about it – the same God who made a universe so vast that our minds cannot comprehend it, made each and every one of us. He knit us together, atom by atom, molecule by molecule, cell by cell, and into that being He infused a purpose.

I don’t know what the next 365 days of my life will hold. Maybe I’ll send out my manuscript and get that first rejection letter in my journey to publication. Maybe I’ll get a contract. Or maybe I’ll still be where I am.

Either way, as long as I’m still here in 365 days, I’ll see that as a blessing.

If your birthday is tomorrow as well, I raise my glass to you, offer you a piece of cake (with ice cream and sprinkles), and wish you the best that life has to offer.

For you, my dear readers, are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Giving Thanks

Yesterday was one of those days. While my children ran around the house like wild turkeys and my dog played the infuriating game of inside-outside, subjecting me to the  frigid late November air, it was difficult for me to count my blessings.

But I tried.

In an attempt to turn my heart around, I reached for my Bible. It had been a while since I did any journaling, and the pages were calling to me. Beckoning me to come and read a while.

There are so many passages on thankfulness, it was hard to chose the right one. In the end I chose  1 Chronicles 16:34 – two short lines that hold so much meaning.

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

In spite of the anger, frustration, sorrow and fear that pull us down every day, God is there, waiting to pull us back up. To wrap us up in his tender mercy and get us through to another day.

So, on this Thanksgiving Day, share with me what you are thankful for.

I am thankful for my children, who although they drive me crazy sometimes I love them more than life itself.

I am thankful for my husband for being the rock I can lean on when things get rough (and for always pointing me in the right direction when I need a little nudge).

I am thankful for my parents, for always being there for me, and most recently for gifting me with a hand-me-down laptop so I can pursue my writing dreams.

I am thankful for friends who although they live far away, they take the time to say hello and remind me that the miles between us might physically separate us, but in our hearts we are always together.

I am thankful for you, my followers, for helping me spread my message of hope and love to a world that so desperately needs it.

And most importantly, I am thankful for God, who is always there, and who never gives up on me.

Who never gives up on any of us.

A Blessed Thanksgiving to all of you.

~Melanie