September Week 3
Wonderfully Made
Week of September 21st
Psalm 139:13-14a – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Ask: What is something you like about yourself? If you could change one thing about yourself,
what would it be?
Likes could be anything from a physical feature to something your child is good at to a talent he/she has.
Changes might be things like, “I wish I didn’t have braces” or “I wish I was a better football player” or “I would
be taller” or “I wouldn’t be so clumsy”.
Read: Psalm 139:13-14a – “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my
mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Say: Last week, we talked about how God made people – made YOU – in His image. You are
special and valuable because you are made in the image of God. Today’s verse teaches us that
not only did God make you in His image, He made every little part of you Himself, shaping you
wonderfully and uniquely. There is only one YOU, and God made you just the way He wanted
you to be. He chose your hair color and eye color and the shape of your face. He designed you
to be a boy or a girl. He decided what foods, colors, and activities you would like. And he gave
you special talents and abilities. You are wonderfully made!
Now you may be thinking, “If God made me exactly how He wants me to be, why do I have
braces on my teeth or asthma or have to use a wheelchair?” Remember how a couple of
weeks ago we talked about how Adam and Even disobeyed God and all of creation got messed
up? Sin is still messing things up today, and that includes our bodies. God never wanted us to
have to deal with sickness or pain, but that is part of the effect that sin has on the world. The
Bible tells us that one day, when Jesus comes back and all things are made new, everyone who
trusts and follows Jesus will be given brand new bodies that will be perfect (1 Corinthians
15:51-53). That will be an amazing thing!
But here is another amazing thing – even our imperfect bodies are designed by God for a
purpose. If you have hearing aids or trouble speaking or allergies or anything else about your
body that just doesn’t work right, that is not an accident. It is part of how God made you
because He takes all the things that sin messed up and turns them around for good. The things
about us that we find to be the most ugly or difficult can be the very things that make us the
most beautiful as God uses them as part of His good plan.
So as you think about how God made you – the things you like about yourself and the things
you wish could be different – let’s praise God for all of it! You are wonderfully made, exactly
how God wants you to be, so that you can do the good things God has planned for you. You
are God’s masterpiece.
Ask: How does what we just learned from God’s Word change how you think about yourself?
Say: All of us are wonderfully made! Let’s take a minute to praise God for how He made us.
You can do this two ways. One way is to have each person thank God for something they like about
themselves. The other way is to assign each person a different family member. Each person thanks God for something they like about how God made that family member. For example, “Thank you God for giving my sister the ability to draw so well – I love when she makes dinosaur pictures for me!” or “God, thank you for making my dad so strong. Riding on his shoulders is fun!”
Below are some OPTIONAL readings and activities for families who wish to spread the devotional over multiple days.
Go Deeper: Read Psalm 139:1-16. Is there anywhere we can go where God is not with us?
God knows every place we will go and every word we will speak (verses 3-4). All of our days
are planned and known to Him (verse 16). God knows every part of us. How does it make you
feel that God knows you that well? Here’s the amazing thing – He knows everything about you
– the good and the bad – and He loves you more than you can possibly imagine.
• Family Challenge Question: How can we learn to better appreciate the different ways
God made all of us? We all have different personalities and abilities, and sometimes it is
easy to get impatient with each other or jealous of one another. What are some things
about each other that we can be thankful for, even when they might bug us sometimes?
Activity Ideas
1. Make self-portraits! Use any materials you want to show how God made you specially
and uniquely. Don’t forget to include your talents and abilities...maybe you are holding a
basketball, paintbrush, or power tool. Maybe you are wearing a jersey or ballet slippers.
Label at least five things on your picture that you like about how God made you!
2. Make encouragement jars. Give an empty plastic jar or soup can to each family member,
and have them make a label with their name on it. Pass around some slips of paper.
Every family member writes at least two things that they like about how God made each
other family member and puts the slips in the appropriate jars/cans. Do this throughout
the week to remind your family members that they are wonderfully made!