You are important to God

Welcome, Jamie Jo and Kimberly, to S M 101!

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You are important to God. Yes, you!

Some people doubt they are important to God. Are you one of them?

I used to be.

For decades I assumed I was as significant as one grain of sand on all the ocean’s beaches. I imagined that if someone up in heaven were to nudge God and point down at earth and say, “There’s that little Linda Kay,” God might say something like, “Oh, yes, that little freckled kid, the lefty, the one with the big ears.” I suspected, however, that He’d be so busy taking care of all the other little specks of sand that I’d get lost in the crowd.

I’ll never forget when, decades later, I read Psalm 139:13-17. The message changed my life. From that moment on I never, ever felt like a mere grain of sand.

Read it for yourself, because it’s not just about me—it’s all about you, too:

You [God] made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—

how well I know it.

You watched me

as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together

in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

(NLT)

The first time I took those words in, my heart cried out, “Such thoughts are too wonderful to me!” (Psalm 139:6)

Look at this ultrasound of the newest member (#40!) of our family, Anna, my grand-niece. God is, as I type, knitting her together in her mother’s womb, in utter seclusion.

In His marvelous workmanship, He is determining Anna’s eye color, skin tone, height, and talents.

God’s holy hands are crafting every last detail: Anna’s hair texture, nose shape, toe length, fingernail shape, and tooth enamel.

With loving attention, He’s creating Anna’s personality, her heart, and her soul.

In divine complexity, He’s planning every moment, every day, of her life. He’s filling out her calendar pages.

Friends, God created you with the same intimate knowledge and love. With holy hands, He determined your appearance, your attributes, your soul. You are the precious work of His hands. With delight, God created you with a unique purpose for your generation.


“He says you are a work of art, a masterpiece. When He made you, He placed you in the perfect setting, gave you the desired appearance, abilities, temperament, gifts, strengths, and yes, weaknesses.

“When you were born He said ‘Look at you! You are just what I had in mind—just right for your place in My story. I have a great storyline already planned.…’” (from Living the Story by Judy Douglas at http://inkindle.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/living-the-story)


The more you grasp, and accept, how important you are to God, the better you can write stories of what He has done in your life and—of great importance—the better you can share with your children, grandchildren, and all your readers, that they are important to God. They are no mere accidents. God intricately created them and planned for them from the very beginning.

Remember, your stories can help shape your readers’ faith and define their identity in your family and God’s family.

In what specific ways will you use your stories to impress upon your children and grandchildren that they are important to God? Let them know life is sacred.

Write stories that tell your readers they’re God's masterpieces. Tell them God treasures them. Make sure they know they’re God’s workmanship, created deliberately by Him (Ephesians 2:10).

Related post: What is memoir?

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-memoir.html


Several of you are finding surprises of joy in writing your stories, and I pray that will be true for all of you!

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Spread the word. Invite your friends to join us. Everyone has stories to tell!