Some people are skeptical about that. Some doubt God considers them important. 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.
When I was young, I imagined that if someone in heaven were
to nudge God and point down to earth and say, “There’s that little Linda,” God
might say something like, “Oh, yes, that freckled one, the lefty with curly
hair.”
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!
(Psalm 139:13-17, NLT)
The first time I took in those words, my heart cried out, “Such
thoughts are too wonderful for me!” (Psalm 139:6)
Look at this ultrasound of my grand-niece, Anna. It captures
God at work—God knitting Anna together in her mother’s womb in utter seclusion—just
like the Psalm described.
Now look (below) at this picture of Anna at about age four. (Isn’t
she a beauty?!)
In His marvelous workmanship, God had already determined Anna’s
eye color, skin tone, height, and talents—and He was making it happen.
God’s holy hands crafted Anna’s hair texture, nose shape, toe
length, fingernail shape, and tooth enamel.
With loving attention, He created Anna’s soul, her heart, and
her most charming personality.
In divine complexity, He has planned the moments and days of
Anna’s life. He knows the calendar pages of her life.
Friends, with the same intimate knowledge and love, God created you.
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; emphasis mine)
The more you grasp, and accept, how important you are to God,
the better you can write stories in your memoir about 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.
Remember, your stories can:
- help shape your readers’ faith,
- define their identity in God,
- and feel secure in their place in your family.
Write stories to help them grasp they are not mere accidents.
God intricately created them and planned for them from the beginning.
Write stories to impress upon your kids and grandkids and
great-grands that they are important to God.
Write stories to let them know their lives are sacred.
Write stories to let them know they’re God’s masterpieces.
Tell them God treasures them.
Impress upon them they’re God’s workmanship, created deliberately
by Him (Ephesians 2:10).
Your memoir could change your readers’ lives.
Believe it.
Ask God to help you write.
Determine that in 2016, you will write those stories!
