Psalm 139:14 – I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV)

I used to want my life to be like squares — everything (including myself) neatly fitting together and lining up perfectly — and I wanted people to respond in that way as well. I wanted to know exactly what to expect, when to expect it, and how to expect it! No surprises, just predictability!

But life's not like that, and to be perfectly honest, I don't like being put into the boxes that others seem to feel that I belong in!

When we really think about it, no two things in this creation, on this earth, and, I venture to say, in this universe, are exactly identical!

We've all been taught that no snowflake is identical to any other snowflake. Similarly, no two blades of grass are exactly alike, nor is one grain of sand the same as another. Everything has different facets, and nothing is exactly symmetrical or fits into exactly the same mold. God didn't create this universe or anything in it that way. No formula! No mold! Entirely freehand and yet perfect!

Even when we are being formed in our mother's womb, not one of our cells is the same as another: ears, eyes, heart, bones, nerves, skin, brain — all are different, with different functions — similar perhaps, but not identical.

God also created different gifts and abilities in each one of us. Even if those gifts, talents, or abilities are similar, they are still uniquely our own, and we use them in different and unique ways. No two musicians interpret the same piece of music in the same way. No two people see a sunrise in exactly the same way. We don't view or interpret things the same; we don't react the same.

So why are we so insistent that people fit into the boxes or moulds we think that they belong in? Why do we want square pegs to fit into round holes? Why do we want to love (and hate) things and people because of the way we categorize them?

Parents all know that not one of their children is the same as another. Everyone wants children that are a chip off the old block, but we all know that they cannot be, nor ought they be compared to ourselves or to each other.

Even our love for one another differs, doesn't it?

God's love for us is like that: God doesn't love us all the same … Uh, what? Think about it: He can't, because He created each one of us uniquely, and therefore He loves each one of us uniquely — not more or less, but uniquely — which makes each one of us special in our own unique way.

While I like things to be straightforward, neither I nor my life is really like squares, nor would I want it that way! There are many, many facets to who I am and who God created me to be. So, in that sense, we are alike: each is a unique and special creation, created by God in His image. He loves each one of us just as we are, and He calls us to do the same.

Prayer: Thank You, O Lord, for who You made me to be and for who You made each one of us to be. Give us Your love for others, and help us to view them as unique and special creations, rather than trying to fit them into the boxes of our own perceptions. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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