REFLECTIONS

Not Just About Me

Some days it is hard to feel good about myself. Wrongdoings and inadequacies can rob my self esteem. All those deficiencies, mistakes, inabilities, and weak efforts can make me feel small and unworthy. But the psalmist discovered otherwise. “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” he exclaims. And as difficult as it may be to recognize, so am I. With all the baggage I carry, the absence of talents I wish I had, and the flaws I try to conceal, I am just as God made me to be. Everything God has made is wonderful, and that thought adds an idea about life that I seldom pause to consider. It’s not just about me.

All the other guys and gals have been fearfully and wonderfully made too. I am in awe of God’s wonderful creation, so it makes me wonder why I don’t commit as much time understanding the wonders of the people around me as I spend trying to understanding myself. Why do I fail to assess what life would be like in someone else’s skin? How might the world look from their perspective of life? What experiences influenced the decisions they made that are different than mine; and what would cause their priorities to be different than those I choose? God made each of us to be different. He made one to seek control and another to seek a leader to follow. He created some with sensitivity for the feelings of others, and some with little awareness of the feelings of others at all. But even with the differences, each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made.

Many times I wonder why someone else behaved poorly, chose errantly, or performed carelessly. But perhaps there is reason to pause and consider how my own behavior, choices, and performance might have influenced theirs. Or maybe I should consider what their choices might have been if I had done something differently.

Today I pause to praise God for giving me life. And I praise him that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. But it’s not just about me. All of God’s works are wonderful, and the differences between people are a part of the wonder. So, maybe it’s a good time to pause to try to understand those differences a little better. The world might be a better place if we tried to understand each other better.

And if we do, we just might come to understand God a little better too.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.orgs

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