Oh boy, this puzzle is going to be a doozy. Upon opening the box, I was immediately overwhelmed by the overabundance of yellow pieces. My goodness, how is one supposed to know which piece belongs to which flower? But after a few days into the project, I gradually took note of one important detail. Every flower was unique, shaded just a bit differently, exhibiting subtle differences in size and shape that were at first overlooked. My thoughts were immediately drawn to the wondrous Creator I serve. My God created a world filled with incredible diversity and wondrous variety, just like those flowers before me. His creation is complex and beyond human description. To think that there exists a mere 300,000 species of beetles…yes, beetles…simply boggles my mind. One might refer to that as creative overkill, but that’s part and parcel of the wonder that is the Creator of the universe.
The crowning achievement of God’s creation was formed in the “image of God,” given a capacity to think, to reason, to appreciate beauty, to communicate, and most importantly, to worship his Creator. The sweet psalmist, David, is a voice for all of us when he declares, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” David understood that his innermost being, as well as his outward frame, was knit together by the sacred, creative hands of the Master. I are not some random accident of nature, but I am a unique, one-of-a-kind, limited edition, intentionally-formed creation. My God does not create carbon copies, only originals.
How absolutely humbling it is to realize that we each celebrate a special place in God’s sovereign plan. We are the clay in the hands of a loving Potter, given a unique personality, natural strengths and weaknesses, and, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a unique ministry to the world around us. God created us with a purpose and destiny…”an expected end.” He has “predestined” us that we might honor Him, “that we should be to the praise of his glory.” He desires for us to have an eternal relationship with Him through the blood of His “only begotten son.”
As I stare in wonder at those gorgeous sunflowers before me, I celebrate the notion that I was “curiously wrought” and “wonderfully made.” I bow before Him in gratitude as I realize that “all my members were written” in His book, and that before I drew my first breath, He “possessed my reins.” He is keenly aware of my “downsitting and mine uprising,” and He loves me in spite of myself. He understands all “my thoughts afar off” and I cannot “flee from (His) presence” for He compasses “my path.” As I ponder those thoughts, I can only echo the words of David and proclaim that “such knowledge is too wonderful for me…I cannot attain it.”
My prayer for you today is that you realize how wonderfully unique you are in the sight of a holy God. Bathe yourself in the fact that you are in the hands of a holy, gracious Potter Who knows you, loves you, and has a one-of-a-kind plan for your life. I’m grateful that a simple puzzle with sunflower overload reminded me of the awesomeness of my Creator and Savior.
Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well