Knit Together

One of the most exciting parts of expecting a baby is anticipating what the baby will look like.

No, I am not expecting.  Let’s just make that clear.

While each of our four children were delivered with a very characteristic family look, they quickly each developed into their own little people.  Our son is identical to my husband as a child.  Our youngest inherited a lovely shade of auburn hair from both sides of our family.  My second daughter giggles just like her aunt, which becomes contagious to anyone in the room.

And then, as they grow, there are those qualities which are inherited, that you just wish could have not been passed on.

stubborn, hot temper, messy, perfectionist

I’ll not mention which parent contributed to those less than ideal characteristics.  sigh.

My daughter was recently diagnosed with a genetic disorder, Hypermobility Joint Syndrome.  Chronic back pain sent us from doctor to doctor, searching for answers for my 13-year-old.  Finally, a physical therapist identified the problem.  Thankful for a name, a diagnosis, and a plan, we are relieved to be able to move forward.  She will never grow out of it.  It will likely, progressively get worse as it has over the past year.  She has to learn to cope with it, to make the best of it.  She must learn her boundaries and sometimes push through them to achieve differnt results.

She inherited this from me.  My genes.  My DNA.

While my symptoms do not manifest the way hers have.  It is still my fault and I had no idea.  I just thought I was always super flexible.  My fingers bend funky ways.  My knees and elbows hyperextend.

This week, God brought me to one of my favorite verses in Psalm 139.  The entire chapter is beautiful and I encourage you to look it up, but here is the verse He brought to mind:

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  Psalm 139:13 

This is yet another verse that I have heard for so long, but God drew my attention to those four words.  If He were talking to me it would say, “Leah, I knit you together.”  He didn’t randomly choose the strands of DNA to knit together and create me.  Nor did He choose random pieces for my daughter.  He knit her together with a plan and a purpose.  God didn’t choose the perfect strands.  God chose the strands for her that He wanted to be a part of her.

Today, my daughter messaged me from school, “I don’t know how I will get through the day dealing with HJS.”

I replied the only way I knew how “You CAN.  We will figure this out together. Don’t think for one minute that God didn’t think you could handle this.  Just lean on Him a little bit more.”

The next verse in Psalm 139 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.”

The good things we inherited from our parents and those qualities we just have to learn to cope with, God knit them in us.  They are a part of what makes us fearfully and wonderfully made.  They are a part of what makes us wonderful work of God.

My parents gave me some pretty amazing qualities.  My dad and I can talk about the Bible and theology for hours.  My mom and I can share recipes and our favorite discount stores.  God knit into me some challenging qualities from them too, that I won’t mention here, but still make me a wonderful work of His.

I think we could all spend some time appreciating that about ourselves and one another.  God knit each of us within the womb of our mothers.  He chose the fibers and strands of DNA to include.  We are each a wonderful work because of it.  We need to come to terms with this ourselves so we can treat one another, whether a neighbor or a family member, a little more like a fearfully and wonderfully made work of God.