Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
- Frances McFarland
- Oct 3
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 16
I like to use activities that make children aware of God's wonderful design as they explore their five senses. It's important to remind them that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. However, teaching the truths of Psalm 139:14 evokes important questions that we must address:
How do we explain the truths of God's wonderful design to children with physical challenges and to those who are their friends?
Can we celebrate the historical accounts of Jesus' miraculous healings and still acknowledge His love and care for people who remain blind, deaf, or unable to walk today?
Do the words of Psalms 139:14 apply to all people?
As I searched for answers, I found them not only in God's Word, but also through the people He put in my path over the years. I share with you two very different stories of those who opened my eyes to truths wrapped in the words of Psalms 139:14. The first is the story of a remarkable three-year-old boy I taught in my Sunday school class.
Dawson's Story
My mind scrambled as I realized I was heading into the turbulent waters of my poor planning. The preschoolers who gathered for music waited for me to pull up the next song on our list. They loved the song. Its catchy tune, paired with simple lyrics, made it fun to sing. Best of all, the verse of scripture that repeated throughout the song was one I wanted them to remember.
"I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)
Every verse highlighted certain aspects of our wonderful design.
God made me with eyes and ears, arms and legs, hands and feet, fingers and toes.
While we sang, we pointed to our eyes and ears. We wiggled our hands and tapped
our feet.
Just as my finger moved to press the “Play” button, I spotted Dawson, the newest member of our preschool department. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes and shiny black hair made him stand out among the rest. Asian features weren’t the only physical characteristics that made him unique. Dawson was born without hands.
I reviewed the words of the song as they raced through my mind.
“God made me with hands and feet...”
“God made me with fingers and toes...”
Would I lead the children in singing a song that excluded Dawson?
Of course not.
I slid my finger away from the play button and selected a different song.
My eyes instantly opened to a new challenge as a teacher of young preschoolers. I wanted Dawson to walk away from our class knowing that the words of Psalm 139:14 were true for him. I committed myself to revealing this truth not only to Dawson but also to the other children in our classroom.
As I gathered the children around an open Bible during our circle times over the following weeks, I found many opportunities for serious discussions. Yes, serious talks with three-year-olds. These might look different from those that happen within adult groups, but make no mistake, they happen. Interestingly enough, they’re often initiated by the children themselves.
“Why doesn’t Dawson have hands?”
There was my door. God cracked it open, and I was more than happy to walk through it.
“Because God made each of us in special ways.”
The room was quiet. The children waited to hear more.
Holding up a piece of Dawson's artwork, I reminded them of things they already knew about him to make my point. Each time I passed out crayons and coloring pages, Dawson wanted his on the floor. The children watched in awe as he grasped the crayons with his toes and colored the page with skill that few of them demonstrated using their hands.
“Dawson doesn’t have hands like you, but God gave him awesome feet."
Dawson smiled.
"Who else can color with their toes?” I asked.
The children giggled at the thought. Some slipped off their shoes to examine their feet. None volunteered to compete with Dawson in such a contest. They knew that while their hands could do things Dawson couldn’t, his feet were capable of doing things theirs couldn't.
In fact, producing coloring pages worthy of refrigerator door displays was the least of Dawson’s accomplishments. He never hesitated to participate in any game or activity I had planned for the morning. When a craft activity required children to string beads onto pipe cleaners, only his efforts to find just the right color for his design slowed him down. Everyone agreed. Dawson was fearfully and wonderfully made.
Despite the physical challenges that some face, God's design helps us enjoy and navigate our world. Eyes can see what ears don't hear, and ears can hear what eyes don't see. Without fingers, toes can become instruments, even bringing delight as they build tall towers with blocks or fill in drab line drawings with bright colors.
Every hurdle that Dawson overcame was proof of a marvelous truth... He was fearfully and wonderfully made. We praise God for His provisions and
…His promises
Dawson's story is amazing and inspiring. It's a beautiful picture of God's wonderful design. But have you ever wondered, What about those who endure significant mental and physical limitations...Those with challenges that cannot be easily overcome? Were they also fearfully and wonderfully made? Does God love and care for these?
Hope Bridge's Story
Those questions were in the back of my mind the day I walked into Hope Bridge at the Hollies, a daycare center for young adults with special needs. Soft music played as I found a seat in the second row of chairs lined up for the Christmas pageant’s guests. I eavesdropped on conversations of families and friends who chuckled with stories about costume failures and Academy Award predictions. The chatter faded when the program director came to the mic, welcoming guests and introducing the play we’d all been waiting for. For the next forty minutes, I was mesmerized.
No one was left out. Each part of the story brought new delights from its cast of characters.
A musical choir jingled their bells to color-coded note cards. The resonating tune of each bell rose to join others in wondrous harmony. So lost in the moment, I no longer saw the wheelchairs or the twisted limbs they carried.
Next, a microphone was placed into the hands of a girl who was blind. She rarely speaks but is known for her lovely singing voice. A sweet smile pierced through her darkness as the words of the song floated from her lips with effortless beauty. This young lady was meant to sing. Singing brought her joy. Her singing brought us joy.
A story unfolded as the narrator read rhyming verses from an oversized Christmas book. Every flip of the page called for the scene to change with a new group of actors proudly making their way to the front of the stage. Impressive costumes and short memorized lines brought applause from the crowd.
I found myself not wanting the story to end, but at last it was time for the grand finale. The narrator turned to the last page of her Christmas book as the curtain pulled back, revealing a familiar stable scene. The story reached its climactic moment when the remaining characters of the drama came forth. One by one, they joined others around a wooden manger.
Mary cradled a swaddled doll with tenderness I think Jesus’s mother would approve of. Shepherds, clutching their staffs, moved forward and gathered around the manger. Angels in wheelchairs joined dancing angels with twirling ribbons. Wise men held their heads high as they marched in with precious gifts.
With every actor in place, the group faced the audience and belted out the words to the song that surely must have been their favorite…. “Happy birthday, Jesus!” For some, the words seemed personal and especially meaningful. Hands clutched over costumed hearts. Pointing fingers thrust heavenward as they sang, “We love YOU!”
Tears spilled from my eyes. I was truly brought into worship by people whose limited physical and mental abilities didn’t hold them back from offering pure praises to their Creator God. And they were created... Fearfully and wonderfully created by Him who looks beyond their limitations.
I came to a greater understanding of the words found in 1 Samuel 16:7 that day.
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Last year, I volunteered to be a part of Hope Bridge's Christmas program. No longer watching from my second row seat, but standing proudly with my new friends to sing "Happy birthday, Jesus" when the final page of the big book turned. Though sometimes from different keys, our voices joined as one. Our music may not have been beautiful by the world's standards, but it was glorious to the ears of our Creator. We were His people, not divided according to scholastic aptitude or physical ability.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
We cannot minimize the difficult challenges some people face, but neither should we doubt the love of God who created them, or that they have purpose here on earth. He holds before His children the glorious promise of a future in heaven that will last for eternity. This broken world is not our forever home.
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body,” Philippians 3:20-21
The day will come when all God's people stand in glory, fully perfected. In that perfection, efforts to see who can run the fastest or who can throw the farthest won't consume us. With all our hearts, souls, and might, we'll worship Him who makes all things new.
Lessons and Activities
The Miracles of Jesus....
Creating an environment that celebrates God's wonderful design when there is no healing
Teaching the accounts of Jesus' miraculous healings is a part of every curriculum and the subject of countless children's books. We want our children to know the wonder of His miracles. We want them to imagine the joy of those who experienced them. But how do we answer questions that these lessons generate? How do we teach children about our loving and powerful God when blind eyes aren't opened?
Teaching the Lesson
Blind Bartimaeus
It's good to set the mood before teaching the account of Jesus healing Bartimaeus. With eyes closed, children can imagine what it would be like to always be in complete darkness.
Imagine....
Never seeing your mother's face.
Not knowing what a rainbow looks like.
Being unable to play a game of catch with your friends.
Meditating on what the world would be like without sight helps children appreciate the joy Bartimaeus must have felt when Jesus opened his blind eyes.
The account of Bartimaeus' healing points us to the love and power of Jesus. This is the theme of our lesson. Going deeper allows us to address the reality that someone we know might be blind, or deaf, or face other physical challenges today. Does God love and care for them as well? Were they fearfully and wonderfully made?
Acknowledge and discuss these facts:
When Jesus walked the earth, He demonstrated His power and love by opening blind eyes and deaf ears. He made a man who was lame walk.
Sometimes there are miraculous healings today.
Often, God helps people through the knowledge of doctors and the availability of special medicines.
Sometimes, no doctor or medicine can help.
Sometimes there is no earthly miracle.
The good news...
God's wonderful design equips us in ways that help us enjoy His world while keeping us safe from harm. When one of these is missing, we rely on others He has given us for our enjoyment and protection.
Ears hear birds that sing, and horns that blow their warnings.
Hands feel soft kittens, and the unpleasant prick of a pinecone.
Noses smell mom's perfume, and smoke that causes us to move away from a fire.
Tongues taste a juicy apple, and sour milk that needs to be thrown out.
Eyes see beautiful rainbows, and the red light that alerts us when it's not safe to cross the street.
The BEST news...
When Jesus came to earth, He healed people who were sick, deaf, blind, and lame. These miracles demonstrated His power and love to the world. The greatest miracle of all happened when Jesus died and rose again. He took away the sins that separate God from man. Because of that wonderful miracle, God's people will one day enter His perfect heaven completely healed, body and soul. We will be filled with endless joy and worship Him as Bartimaeus did!
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
Activity Time
When you challenge children to use their five senses, they become aware of abilities often taken for granted. Introducing your lesson with sensory awareness activities, or using them as reinforcement for its message, provides opportunities for meaningful discussions.
Guide these discussions to help children appreciate the gifts of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.
Highlight how God's loving design encompasses multiple ways to keep us safe and allows us to enjoy His world.
Encourage children to think about this in relation to people with visual or hearing impairments.
Including Children with Physical Challenges in the Celebration
If your class includes a child who is challenged in one of these areas, choose activities that allow success for all the children. Encourage the class to talk about what they have learned after each sensory experience.
Check out these sensory awareness activities that explore our five senses.
So many beautiful reminders!
This is truly inspiring.
Beautifully written Francis
Frances I think this is my favorite article you have made yet. Thank you for being the eyes that see all the Savior’s beloved- and helping us see their equal if not larger beauty and value to Him. 💕