When Kristin from the blog Vine of Plenty asked if I’d be interested in participating in her Summer of Psalms project, I knew which psalm I wanted to choose before I could even click reply. It had to be psalm 139.
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
Because, at thirty five weeks pregnant, it’s good for me to have a reminder that this growing a baby thing isn’t all about me. (Especially when it’s inexplicably already in the 90s here.)
All the aches and pains, the unwieldy belly, the manic desire to do ALL the things! but also go take a NAP! . . . it’s easy to forget that not only is this not all about me, it’s hardly about me at all. My body may be the PLACE it’s happening, but inside is a whole new person, unique and distinct, created by God and being fearfully and wonderfully woven INSIDE ME. Right now.
What a crazy and extraordinary thing to get to be a part of.
For some more of my reflections on being pregnant, check out . . .
A Pregnant Lady’s Thoughts on Suffering
Pregnancy Survival Secrets from a Grand Multigravida
Hey America, Pregnancy: You’re Doing it Wrong
And now for the details on the Summer of Psalms . . .
The Summer of Psalms Project is an effort to spread selected Psalms
through inspired art online. Follow along at Vine of Plenty for more
free and encouraging artwork. Frame your favorite Psalm print and share
your own pictures using the hashtags #summerofpsalmsproject and
#vineofplenty to stay connected.
Mine is the fourth installment of the series. To see more of Kristin’s beautiful watercolor psalms, check out . . .
Psalm 52 at Clan Donaldson.
Psalm 65 at In the Heart of My Home.
and
Psalm 66 at House Unseen.
All of these lovely works of art are free to download, print, and share.
There is nothing on earth quite so wonderful as a baby. It is as close to heaven as can be. An everyday wonder and miracle. A blessing and a joy to feel the baby move inside the womb, so safe. Oh God how good You are to give us a bit of heaven here on earth!
Okay, I'm going to be meditating on this for sure. It's been too easy to focus on *my* experience of this pregnancy lately, what with the bazillion (5…and a half) needle pokes and bad test results so I needed this reminder. Maybe contemplating more closely my little girl to be born will also help me figure out what her name is supposed to be because right now I feel like I have ADD with trying to find her name. Hoping God's got that figured out along with the whole knitting her together thing and will enlighten me soon 🙂
These psalms are just beautifully painted, I love them! I'm still scoping out the right frame to confiscate to put one up in my house.
Great reflection, Kendra 🙂 This is one of my favorite Psalms as well. I think it's so important (and hard!) to remember, especially as we approach the due date, that it truly isn't about "me."
What a hard lesson to learn. People always say, when you're pregnant it's all about you, and after you give birth it's all about the baby. But really it's not all about you, ever. Nothing in life is, right?
That's my favorite too!
I'm newly pregnant with our 2nd child, and because of a medical condition I have, essentially, statistically speaking, 25+% of my pregnancies are expected to end in 1st trimester miscarriage. But this psalm has been so helpful in the past, and it's a comfort as we journey through this again. The printable is lovely. Thank you!
Congratulations Brianna. I hope you get to keep all of them, despite the statistics.
I'm a huge fan of Psalm 139 as well. 🙂
I'm a huge fan of Psalm 139 as well. 🙂