Carefully Formed

My grandparents are old. Perhaps "aged" is a better term, as "old" is overused and abused. After all, when each successive generation calls the ones before it "old", the term becomes diluted at the least. So, my grandparents are aged. All three are in their seventies. They have lived full lives. They've seen children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren grow. They've seen changes in technology that they perhaps wouldn't have ever dreamed possible. They have endured hard times. They have celebrated milestones. And now the years hang heavy in laugh and frown lines, in hair that is not as dark and thick as it once was, in muscles that can't carry the load they once did, and bones that have grown weak and thin.

I was thinking this morning about the inevitability of death, and the grief of losing those you love, and I was reminded of this verse.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:16

As I chewed on that verse, I was extremely comforted.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance... I thought about that first moment, the moment when the egg is fertilized and a new life begins. You were seen before your mother knew she was pregnant! I was known. My parents and grandparents were known.

...in your book were written... Books record and preserve information. It's not as though God needed to write things down so He wouldn't forget. It speaks more to the certainty of what is written. Most of the time, once something is written it is preserved as long as the page survives.

...every one of them... Again we're faced with the certainty of what is written. As a believer, it comforts my soul to know that each of my days and moments is certain. From what happens in a day to exactly how many of them there will be. And that certainty and comfort apply when I think about my friends and family who also hope in Christ. So, while it is painful to see my grandparents aging, I know that this day was written for them long before they were born.

...the days that were formed for me... In the flow of this verse we now have a contrast between "unformed substance" and "days that were formed". Forming doesn't happen by chance. It expresses a deliberate and careful attention to the way a day will go. When God wrote my days in His book, He carefully formed each one.

...when as yet there was none of them. This takes us back to the top, and it blows my mind. How can God see and know me when I don't even exist? And yet this verse says that not only did He know and see me, but He had already carefully formed each of my days. What a comfort!

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

Happy Snowmen

I love snowmen. I got my first snowman decoration when I was ten, but in the Rocky Mountains snow and snowmen aren't much of a novelty. By late high school my family had moved twice, and in both locations snow was a rarity-- and I MISSED IT! So as a young adult I began to collect snowmen in earnest. I have figurines, sun catchers, candles, chalkboards, dishes, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, clothing, and more all featuring snowmen.

I have two different sets of snowman dishes, along with sundry pieces that don't match. Because my Crew do the dishes, and they're kids, something snowman gets broken almost every year. Invariably, whoever did the breaking is distraught, and sometimes in tears. As a young mom I was very volatile. I had not yet learned to control my temper, and I yelled a lot, especially when things got broken. But at this point, I think they are upset because they know that my snowmen make me happy. And it makes them sad when I am unhappy.

I've been trying to bring my snowmen out of hibernation for a few weeks now, and I've been thinking about what may get broken this year. And I began to wonder, how much do I know about what makes my Father happy? And does it make me sad to do what displeases Him because I love Him? Dear Christian, our Father has told us what pleases Him. He has shown us His love by sending Jesus to live and die in our place. So live to please Him!

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
 
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
 
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2