February 19, 2025
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We have identical twin daughters – Erin and Lindsay. Most people can’t tell them apart. They truly do look alike. But I’ve known them all their lives, and I can easily tell who’s who – at least most of the time! Even though they are identical, they are unique in many ways.
Lindsay has a freckle on her right cheek and a small scar where her nose connects with her upper lip, a reminder of the time when they were five years old and Erin pushed her face through a plate glass window as they fought to wave goodbye to me.
Erin has a slightly different profile from Lindsay’s. That happened when she was about two, standing on her high-chair tray and did a swan dive into the breakfast table.
Beyond their physical features, I can sometimes tell them apart by their actions. They started crabbing when they were about three years old and became a pretty successful team. Erin worked the line while Lindsay worked the net. As they grew older, they continued to crab the same way. I could watch them from a distance and still know who was who simply by who was doing what.
In some ways, Erin and Lindsay’s personalities are very much alike and in others, quite different. They think alike and differently. They do things alike and they do things differently.
They attended different colleges but they pledged the same sorority. For a while, neither one bothered to tell her new friends that she had an identical twin sister. So their first visits really freaked out some folks!
Several times, after they left home, they sent me the same Father’s Day and birthday gifts. That hasn’t happened in a while. They must compare notes now.
Here is a truth that extends beyond our daughters: Who you are is a unique and unrepeatable gift from God to this world. Even if someone were to show up with the same physical traits, no one else shares the exact experiences, blessings, challenges and loves that make you the unique person you are. Since the beginning of time, there never has been and never will be another you.
You are not an accident or a divine afterthought. God created you on purpose and with love. The prophet Isaiah reminds us, “The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me.” Isa. 49:1 NRSV. We are all God’s children. He loves us for who we are.
The psalmist declares, “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 …”
Psalm 139:13-14a, NIV.
And the apostle Paul proclaims, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10, ESV. No matter what the world may say, you are deeply loved, intentionally designed and called by God for a reason.
I hope and pray you truly embrace the wonder of who God has made you to be. Whether or not you have an identical twin, you are the only you. There has never been and there never will be another you. May you walk in the knowledge that your Creator formed you with love, purpose and delight.
REMEMBER & BELIEVE
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
In the meantime, pray that God will help you to become the person
He created you to be!
QUESTION
How does knowing that God intentionally created you impact the way you live your life today?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for creating us with love and intention. Help us to see ourselves through Your eyes and embrace the unique calling You have placed on our lives. Guide us to become the men and women You designed us to be, walking in faith, love and purpose.
Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Amen
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)
God bless you!
Richard
Christ Worshipper | Disciple Maker | Hope Giver
Welcome to In the Meantime. I'm glad you're here! We are living in the time between Christ's ascension into heaven and His promised return to earth. In the Meantime is a collection of stories about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and His presence, love, mercy and grace in my life. In the Meantime, Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah!
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