Errata/Erratum – Fearfully & Wonderfully Made
Psalm 139:13 – 16
The word “errata” is the plural of the word “erratum”. An erratum is simply the correction of a book. So, let’s say I publish a textbook and then I realize that there are some mistakes in the textbook or that there are some omissions from it; I would publish a list of the errors in the book so that people who use the book get the right information. So, in other words, an erratum simply lists all the errors in a book.
I find it amazing that all over our world today, so many people are so dissatisfied with their physical appearances. Plastic surgeries, weight-loss programmes, implants for various body parts, anti-aging products, to mention just a few, have become so big. The situation is so bad we actually have people who virtually refuse to eat (restricting themselves to very very small quantities of food) for fear of gaining weight – a condition known as anorexia.
Now, let’s agree that plastic surgeries, weight-loss programmes, conscious efforts to check how much food one eats, these are not bad things at all. Physical appearances are extremely important and yes, we must check how much food we eat. But the world has become obsessed with physical appearances. Our TVs, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of media are filled with pictures of the “perfect body”. The desire to look “perfect” is so great that in our world today, many of us have our self-worth determined by how we look. The situation is so bad that many people, even Christians, take their own lives because they feel they are not beautiful.
Should this be so? While it is important that we take care of our bodies so that we may look more beautiful, must we look down on ourselves just because we do not have what the world calls the “perfect” body? As a child of God, must I look down on myself just because I am short, or tall, or big or skinny? If that is how God has made me, then why should I look down on myself just because I am not “beautiful” or “perfect” by human standards?
Psalms 139:13 – 16 assures us that God knit us together in our mothers’ wombs and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knit us together; this means whether I am short or tall or big or skinny or white or black, God made me so (He formed me so). This is what the Bible says. In Gen 1:27, the Bible says, “So God created man in His own image”. The last time I checked, God has not published an erratum (a list of errors) on the Bible.
Since there is no erratum on the Bible, I believe it is safe to say that we are truly the image of God and that everyone one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. Dear child of God, as you go through this day, learn to appreciate how God has made you. Accept how he has created you and take care of yourself as best you can. Just remember that no matter what your physical appearance may look like, what concerns God most is your innermost being. Do not let human standards determine your self-worth.