Today’s scripture: Psalm 139:13-16 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
Most parents have time to prepare for the arrival of their children — time to childproof the house, to decorate a nursery, to shop for adorable baby clothes, to think about baby names, or to hear a tiny heartbeat through an ultrasound. Most parents have nine months to fall in love with the little gift they are about to receive.
When my partner and I finished our adoption paperwork, we were told to wait 12 to 18 months before we would be matched with a child. That was October 8, 2010. On November 16, only six short weeks later, we received a phone call that changed our lives completely. It was our adoption agency calling to tell us that a baby boy had been born earlier that morning and the mother had chosen us to be his adoptive family; the agency wanted to know if we wanted him. Without hesitation we said yes and less than 48 hours later he had moved into our home. But he had taken up residence in our hearts before we ever laid eyes on him.
People sometimes think I’m crazy when I tell them that I loved my son before I even knew he existed, but it is the truth. When I had no idea that an amazingly brave and wonderful woman carried him inside her, I loved him. The idea of him, which he has already exceeded, was born in my heart long before he was born into this world. That first moment we saw him was merely a confirmation of what we already knew: we were head over heels in love.
Our scripture for today reminds of such love. Imagine a love for you that is so complete it existed before you ever did. That is God’s love for you. In the same way that my yet-to-be-born child owned my heart, so too do you own the heart of God. Read again what I wrote about the love I have for my son and know to the very core of you that this is how God feels about you. You have already exceeded the idea of you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Thought for the day: God is head over heels in love with me! May I reciprocate that love by giving it to all those I meet today. Amen.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.