Celebrating Me – Because I Am His
November in the Midwest means cool mornings and falling leaves, chili and college football, cozy sweaters and fashionable boots.
And November is also my birthday. As a child I loved my birthday. All kids do, right?
But as I got older I felt like it was starting to lose it’s luster. Birthdays meant having to acknowledge another year older and everything that entailed. Wondering when gray hairs were going to start popping up and wrinkles were going to show themselves, or when my metabolism was going to officially rebel against me.
And worst yet, my birthday meant looking back at the previous year and wondering what I could have done better or where I left opportunities drop. Birthdays began to be more about focusing on all of my negatives.
Sure I would be gracious and enjoy cards, presents and well-wishes. I would feel blessed to have my Facebook timeline filled with people taking the time to celebrate me.
But I wasn’t celebrating me.
And then a few years back I was reading Psalm 139:14 (NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
It certainly wasn’t the first time I had read the verse but it was the first time it struck my core. You know what I mean. The tingles and butterflies in your stomach kind of realization.
I think in past readings of the verse I had only really focused on “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. That’s generally the focus on the t-shirts and the coffee mugs!
But this time I seemed to fully digest all of the verse and its depth.
“Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
I believed this when I looked at the sunsets and the night sky. I believed this every time I noticed the intricacy of a flower.
And my children! Of course I believe they are wonderful. As well as my husband.
But I hadn’t been fully acknowledging a key component. I am His creation, too! It had been so easy for me to gloss over that important factor without allowing it to sink in.
How often have you glossed over that part, too?
“I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
If all of God’s works are wonderful and I am one of God’s works, then I am wonderful!
I’m not sure if this seems simplistic for anybody else but this was the realization I had been waiting my whole life for but didn’t know. It had finally dawned on me that it was more than okay to believe I was good.
Self-esteem and self-worth is something I had wrestled with for a long time. It had been unintentionally reinforced for me to believe that my worth was based upon how others viewed me. I believed that if I was good or talented or dare I say beautiful, it was viewed as conceited or showing off.
This verse. This realization blew that false belief out of the water. Talk about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones!
I experienced tears, laughter, and a deep hole inside myself finally being fill. I didn’t have to feel embarrassed or ashamed when I was proud of myself. There didn’t need to be the internal conflict anymore.
I pray that you have experienced that kind of healing before, too.
Forward Progress
I can’t say that I never experience self-doubt or self-consciousness. I do. Oh boy, I definitely do. But I have this verse and so many others to go back to. And when my negative self-talk rears it’s ugly head, I have God’s word to break apart my insecurities.
I encourage you to seek God’s word that helps you to understand your worth and identity in Christ.
So now, as November begins and it gets closer and closer to my birthday, I get excited like a little kid once more. I take the day off work and I treat myself. There doesn’t have to be a party or presents. But I take the day to celebrate me because I am His and all of His works are wonderful.
Celebrating you, because you are His, whether on your birthday or anytime of the year, is a way to acknowledge the wonder of God through His creations!
I pray that this post reminds you of your worth and encourages you to take the next steps in seeking out that truth.
God bless!
Melissa
Lacy Ngo
Pretty amazing to think about. God chose to make me!
melissa
Isn’t it though?! Really sit in that thought! Let it seep into your soul. The creator of our Universe made you with a specific purpose in mind! And He loves you beyond the love any of us can give. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Meghan Weyerbacher
We are his creation too — amen! I love this and happy birthday!
melissa
Thank you. It is amazing to think about when we allow ourselves to fully grasp what it means! Thank you for reading and commenting. God bless!
Valerie Murray
So true. God’s works are wonderful and all too often when it comes to “me” I don’t know that “full well.” God has been teaching me over the years to fear him instead of man and it has helped me become the woman God created me to be. This is a wonderful post!
melissa
Thank you, Valerie. You’re right, we allow of fear of what others think and their opinion to drive our thoughts about ourselves and that leads us so far away from who God created us to be. Thank you for reading and for commenting! God bless!
Sarah Geringer
Hi Melissa! Wow, our thoughts are along the same lines right now. I love autumn in the Midwest too. My birthday is in October, and I love the smell of fallen leaves and the beautiful woods I live in. You talk about taking thoughts captive–that’s what I’ll be posting about this Thursday. Blessings to you!
melissa
Well happy belated birthday to you! Dr. Caroline Leaf is amazing at helping with practical tools on how to capture thoughts if you would like more resources. I wrote a post on positive thinking last week! We’re just in-sync right now! Thank you for reading and commenting. God bless and I’ll look forward to reading your post on Thursday!
Sheila Qualls
I wrote a blog post expressing similar sentiment a few months ago. God chose to make me. That is a powerful thought. (And, I love Fall, too!)
melissa
It is such a powerful thought! It can be such an amazing reminder on hard days. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Aryn The Libraryan
Exactly! You’ve nailed it. The Common disconnect between, “of course all of God’s Creations are amazing, wonderful, etc” and “Wait, That Includes ME???!!!
Happy Birthday and God Bless the year ahead for you!
melissa
Thank you for the Birthday blessings. It is so amazing how often we can experience that disconnect isn’t it? God bless!
Susan Evans
We as women need to accept the way God made us as beautiful. It’s more of an attitude and a confidence in who we are in Christ that radiates out of us.
melissa
I totally agree! I wish I understood this earlier in life but now my goal is to ensure my children know their worth in Christ! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Keisha Russell
This post was so powerful and I can relate to it so very much! I have dealt with low self-esteem for all of my life. The devil knows exactly what to say to get me down, but thank goodness I can speak against him with the word of God!
melissa
So true! And the devil seems to come at me right after positive things are going on in my life to attempt to tear me down. But you are so right, we have the word of God to protect and fight! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Sarah
Thank God for His word, it makes us to have confidence in ourselves.In Him we have all things, so my sister celebrate yourself very well.
melissa
Thank you so much. Allowing His words to resonate brings such joy and peace at the same time, doesn’t it?! God bless!
Julie
Happy Birthday! When I allow the thought of God making me uniquely and special, it boosts my self-esteem in great ways. The Creator of the Universe finds me fearfully and wonderfully made, wow!
melissa
Wow, right?! It’s hard to stay down when we let that sink in. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Tammy
How wonderful and sweet, to experience the master’s healing touch! Thank you for sharing. I truly hope this post helps someone else heal, and love self !
Melissa, I am drafting a three post series on dealing with rudeness. Do have anything that might link well to this (communication, boundaries, responding to inappropriate remarks or behavior?) My posts are going to be poetic and scriptural. If I provided a link to a more professional style…that would be GREAT for my readers. Keep up the WONDERFUL work! So glad I found you!!
melissa
Thank you for your kind words Tammy! I have devotional posts on gossip, lying, and self-control that might fit. I also have a post stopping entitlement in children. Link away my dear! You are too sweet! God bless!
Alice Mills
I really began celebrating my birthday when I noticed that God always joined in the gift giving. This year he brought my two daughters in from out of state and country to visit!
melissa
What a wonderful gift! This year I’m looking forward to rest. I take the day off of work as celebrating myself doesn’t fit well while being a therapist! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Bonnie Lyn Smith
So lovely and reflective. I always appreciate transparent, vulnerable blogs like this one so much. We all grow from being real together. Thank you!
melissa
Thank you so much for your kind words. I agree we get more understanding and willingness for self-reflection when others are honest as well. Thank you for reading and for commenting! God bless!
Jess
Happy Birthday!! Isn’t it crazy how birthdays change as we get older? My family has somehow adopted these attitudes of ‘I don’t want anything, but if you do get me something, then donate it to charity’ and ‘let’s just do the same thing we always do every year (meet at the same restaurant)’. While donations to charity are great, their intentions seem more from annoyance of having to deal with gifts, rather than from a true giving spirit. Especially when we do the same thing every year to celebrate, it feels like we’re just trying to get it over with.
I, on the other hand, want to be gracious and joyful and excited about my birthday! I want to thank God for getting me through another year, growing closer to Him in life and one day closer to seeing His face in heaven! I want to be like Joyce Meyer and take an entire week off for my birthday to celebrate. Because it should be a time of celebration instead of dread or insignificance. We should never those that childlike spirit that God adores! Thanks for being so honest and for celebrating God’s works;)
melissa
Thank you Jess! I love celebrating other people’s birthdays. From picking out the perfect gift to throwing parties! I want them to feel special and understand their worth. I’m glad that’s coming back to me for my own birthday. I love your perspective of thanking God for one day closer to seeing His face. What an amazing thought! Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful commenting! God bless!
Ann (Neethu)
First of all happy birthday … have a blessed year ahead Melissa.
indeed I love the fact since all God’s works are wonderful, I too am wonderful. Blessed!
melissa
Thank you Ann! It is a beautiful fact. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Sarah Koontz
Just loved this. Yes, we need to remember whose we are and how valuable that makes us. I especially loved this —> If all of God’s works are wonderful and I am one of God’s works, then I am wonderful! AMEN!
melissa
I love sitting in that truth! It’s overwhelmingly beautiful! Thank you Sarah for reading and commenting! God bless!
rachel
Melissa, this is beautiful! I’ve never thought of this verse quite like that before, but you’re absolutely right! He makes all things well.
Happy early birthday to you! May you celebrate YOU as He celebrates you. 🙂
melissa
Thank you Rachel! I love when I reread a bible verse for the umpteenth time and it finally sinks in. It’s written right there for us we just have to let it in! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Ashley
Amen! And, happy birthday! Truly, God’s Word is alive and active.
It is amazing that not only did God create us as part of his wonderful works, but God enabled us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds! Have you read “Switch On Your Brain,” a book by Christian neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf? She explains how our thoughts literally change the neural pathways in our brains!
melissa
I love Dr. Caroline Leaf! I got to hear her present at a conference just a couple months ago! I reference her work in my post about positive thinking! Thank you Ashley for reading and commenting! God bless!
Andrea
and that’s what we need to be celebrating – what He did for us!
melissa
Absolutely! Thank you for stopping by and commenting! God bless!
Kristi
I love how God gives us verses specifically about us and what he thinks of us. We are His wonderful creation. He took time to skillfully make us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the devil will do all he can to keep us from believing this.
melissa
It is such a blessing that we don’t have to guess how God views us! And your right, the devil does try to keep us from being our worthy and connecting with God. Thankfully we have the God-given power to be stronger! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Marva | SunSparkleShine
Yes, God chose to create me — special, unique — and that’s a wonderful thing! Thank you for bringing that beautiful thought to our minds today.
Wishing you a very happy birthday when it comes, Melissa.
melissa
Thank you, Marva, for the birthday wishes. It is a beautiful thought that I hope resonates and truly sinks in for everyone today! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless
Christin
Amen! We definitely need to embrace who God has created us to be, and celebrate the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made! Thanks so much for sharing with #BVN!
Melissa
Thank you, Christin. It’s so easy to know, and believe that for other people, right? It can be a little harder to put into practice for ourselves. It needs to be intentional. Thank you for stopping by! God bless!