As a teenager one of the posters in my bedroom was a picture of a new born
baby being held in a parents hand, the words underneath read ‘ Fearfully and
Wonderfully made’ Psalm 139:14. For me this was an important message to be
reminded of everyday as I went to High School. This week I spent some time with
Year 6 children from Aughton C of E primary school helping them to think about
their imminent move to Secondary school. In one of the sessions I was encouraging the pupils to see themselves as God sees them, unique and precious.
I wonder how often we stop and look at ourselves in the mirror and contemplate
that there will never be anyone just like us.
St. Augustine is attributed as saying,“People travel to wonder at the height of
mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast
compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by
themselves without wondering.”
I wonder when you last stopped to consider your unique identity and
contemplate the fact that God formed you. He crafted, created and fashioned
every part of you.
As a society I wonder if the message we often hear is ‘who we are is not good
enough’, that the only way to be great is to be like everyone else. Social Media,
Television and Radio often tell us how things should be. It takes courage to
drown out the negative voices and accept and celebrate who we are and the
difference we can make to each other.
Celebrating that we are all different is a key message portrayed in the 2017 film
‘Wonder’ directed by Stephen Chbosky and based on the book by R.J. Palacio. The
film tells the heart warming story of August Pullman. Born with facial
differences, which have initially prevented him from going to a mainstream
school. In the film we follow Auggie in his first year at school and get to
understand things from his perspective and of those around him. As his family,
his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to find their own
compassion and acceptance, Auggie’s extraordinary journey unites them all and
proves you can't blend in when you were born to stand out. What a powerful
and transformative message, worth repeating “ YOU WERE BORN TO STAND
OUT”.
Perhaps today we need to take time to look in the mirror and celebrate our
uniqueness remembering that each of us are born for a purpose, we were born to
stand out and not just fade away in the background. Be proud to be you today
and may you know the height and the breadth of God’s love for you a ‘Fearfully
and wonderfully made’!