Marked by His Name
“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:1, 13-14
If you’re anything like me, perhaps you struggle with comparison issues. It doesn’t take long for me to get down on myself because I’m not as smart as this one person, as cool as another, as gifted as another… the list goes on and on. Why do we do that so much? We can so easily forget how God sees us as His beloved children — made by Him, known by Him, loved by Him, redeemed by Him. We need these reminders all of the time, because we are prone to forget.
It makes me think of that amazing scene in the very first “Toy Story” movie. Do you remember when Woody is trapped in a ‘jail’ underneath a crate, and he’s talking to Buzz Lightyear who is on the outside. Buzz is super down in this scene, because he’s come to the realization for the first time in his life that he is not a real spaceman. He’s actually just a toy. Or as he puts it, “I’m just a stupid, little, insignificant toy.” What makes this scene so moving, in addition to making it so relatable, is what Woody says to encourage Buzz in his discouraged state. Woody reminds him, “There’s a kid in that house over there who thinks you are the greatest… and it’s not because you’re a space ranger… it’s because you’re a toy! You are his toy!”
And after a couple of seconds as Buzz thinks about it, he looks down at his foot, and he sees “ANDY” written on the bottom of his boot…because Andy, the little boy to whom all the toys belonged, marked all of his toys with his name.
It’s such a great scene! And what a picture it is for us. When those moments of comparison come (and they will come), I want you to know that you are not just a stupid, little insignificant anything. You are, according to God’s own words, loved by the Creator of the Universe! You are fashioned by Him, known and loved by Him! And if you have put your faith in Christ, do you know what that means? It means God has stamped your life with His name! Not because of anything you have done or have yet to do, but because you are loved by Him and He sent His Son into the world to rescue you! That’s how loved you are! And that’s why we can praise God with our whole lives, because He really does know us and love us and mark our lives with His Very Name.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”