Loved Into Life
A devotional by Laura Thomas
Playing with dolphins has never actually been on my bucket list, but when the opportunity presented itself in Jamaica, my family jumped at the chance. Quite honestly, I was somewhat petrified and even had nightmares leading up to the event. Yes, totally irrational nightmares—where a deranged dolphin dragged me to the depths of the ocean. I know, dolphins are just SO terrifying!
But when crunch time came, the experience was, in fact, magnificent. The dolphin, named Beta, felt as smooth as silk, was tremendously playful, and had absolutely no desire to drown me! We swam and danced together...I even kissed her.
Our entertaining Jamaican “dolphin dude” regaled us with a plethora of facts about this gorgeous creature and one in particular stuck with me. He asked if any of us in the group were currently pregnant. I had a nasty flashback of morning sickness just thinking about it! He then went on to explain that a dolphin could actually detect pregnancy through the water, due to its powerful sonar abilities. How utterly amazing is that?
My mind was immediately drawn to Psalm 139. The Creator and Sustainer of life itself wove ME together in “the depths of the earth”. I am no accident and neither are you. We were perfectly formed by One who makes no mistakes.
If God created a dolphin that could sense new life, how much more does He Himself know when one is formed?
If there is ever any doubt of the significance of our existence on this crazy, spinning planet—we need only turn to Psalm 139. It’s hand down (or hands up) one of my favorite passages of Scripture, rich with words of love and affirmation.
It assures us that a baby does not merely begin at birth, furiously sucking in its first gulp of fresh air. God the Creator beautifully and miraculously knits his created little one together in the womb, precious to Him even then. When a baby is born, he is already loved by the Father. He is loved into life.
Playing with dolphins has never actually been on my bucket list, but when the opportunity presented itself in Jamaica, my family jumped at the chance. Quite honestly, I was somewhat petrified and even had nightmares leading up to the event. Yes, totally irrational nightmares—where a deranged dolphin dragged me to the depths of the ocean. I know, dolphins are just SO terrifying!
But when crunch time came, the experience was, in fact, magnificent. The dolphin, named Beta, felt as smooth as silk, was tremendously playful, and had absolutely no desire to drown me! We swam and danced together...I even kissed her.
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| Laura's son kissing a dolphin in the Jamaica blue waters |
Our entertaining Jamaican “dolphin dude” regaled us with a plethora of facts about this gorgeous creature and one in particular stuck with me. He asked if any of us in the group were currently pregnant. I had a nasty flashback of morning sickness just thinking about it! He then went on to explain that a dolphin could actually detect pregnancy through the water, due to its powerful sonar abilities. How utterly amazing is that?
“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body…”
~Psalm 139:15-16 (NIV)
~Psalm 139:15-16 (NIV)
My mind was immediately drawn to Psalm 139. The Creator and Sustainer of life itself wove ME together in “the depths of the earth”. I am no accident and neither are you. We were perfectly formed by One who makes no mistakes.
If God created a dolphin that could sense new life, how much more does He Himself know when one is formed?
If there is ever any doubt of the significance of our existence on this crazy, spinning planet—we need only turn to Psalm 139. It’s hand down (or hands up) one of my favorite passages of Scripture, rich with words of love and affirmation.
It assures us that a baby does not merely begin at birth, furiously sucking in its first gulp of fresh air. God the Creator beautifully and miraculously knits his created little one together in the womb, precious to Him even then. When a baby is born, he is already loved by the Father. He is loved into life.
“Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.”
~Psalm 139:16 (The Message)
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.”
~Psalm 139:16 (The Message)
Let’s back up and read that again: “The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” Each and every life is highly valued by the Creator of the Universe. We are loved and worthy, even on the days we don’t feel like it. Even on the days that the world tells us we are not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, rich enough.
You know who is enough? Jesus. And we find our “enough” only in him. Just as we are part of God’s plan, so was Jesus—His sacrifice on the cross was the stunning masterpiece of the Father’s plan. It cost Him greatly, but He did it for us.
Surely, this should shake us and cause us to feel loved even more deeply by our Heavenly Father. Do you need reminding that you are His beloved child? That He made you in “the secret place”? I invite you to read Psalm 139 slowly and prayerfully as you drink in the miraculous beauty of His love for you.
Whenever I see a picture of a dolphin, I remember Beta in Jamaica, and I marvel at the intricacies of creation. I was fairly in awe that day when we swam with her, and some fabulous memories were made. But that experience pales in comparison to the fact that our lives are prepared in the secret place by One who loves us more than we can possibly imagine, and that we were quite literally loved into life!
~*~
Author Bio:
Laura is a published Christian author with a heart for inspiring and encouraging readers of all ages.
She is truly multi-genre—with a published Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, children’s stories, devotionals for Union Gospel Press, musings on her blog, and she now has a literary agent representing her Christian romantic suspense novel.
Laura is English and Canadian, married to her high school sweetheart, mom of three, passionate about faith and family…and chocolate!
~*~
Connect with Laura:
Website - www.laurathomasauthor.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Laura-Thomas-183771121724664/?ref=hl
Twitter - https://twitter.com/laura_thomas_
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lauracthomas/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/lauracthomas/
She is truly multi-genre—with a published Christian teen fiction trilogy, marriage book, children’s stories, devotionals for Union Gospel Press, musings on her blog, and she now has a literary agent representing her Christian romantic suspense novel.
Laura is English and Canadian, married to her high school sweetheart, mom of three, passionate about faith and family…and chocolate!
~*~
Connect with Laura:
Website - www.laurathomasauthor.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Laura-Thomas-183771121724664/?ref=hl
Twitter - https://twitter.com/laura_thomas_
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lauracthomas/
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/lauracthomas/
Love these Scriptures and this post! Thank you for sharing!
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