Loved. From the Top of Your Head to the Soles of Your Feet.

You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. —Psalm 18:36 NIV

Before our seventh grandchild was born, her mother and I prayed. We prayed for this child as God formed her in the womb, borrowing language from Psalm 139 where God tells us that we are knit together in that secret place. We prayed for a safe delivery and that this little one would sense His peace right from the start of her life outside the womb. We asked big for our tiny one, and in this case, God answered with a resounding “yes.” We are grateful.

I flew to visit her about ten days after her birth and held her … held her … held her … when I finally got the chance. (Four other precious grands were vying for my attention and hugs. The baby was less demanding as she slept in her mama’s arms.) I marveled, as I had with my own two children and the grands who came before her, at how fearfully and wonderfully she is made. I examined the soft downy hair on her head and noted her little toes. I stared into her sweet, sleepy eyes and smiled so big for so long my cheeks hurt.

Babies are amazing, aren’t they? When we love a baby, we can’t stop looking, holding, staring, smiling. They bring out all the warmth of love as we hold them. Especially when they are quietly sleeping in our arms. (We can talk another time about the ache of not being able to stop a baby from crying—that’s a whole other way our love for them spills out—when we can’t fix what’s hurting them.)

I heard Psalm 18:36 the other day and was stopped in my tracks at God’s specific love for me. “You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way” (NIV). I had to go back and look it up to make sure I had heard correctly. God watches out for my … ankles? Now granted, this verse is bigger than that. It’s not just about my physical ankles. It’s about the path of life and the way He leads when I follow. He watches out for me. But still. Ankles.

This is all the more striking because God also notices my hair. Yes, my hair. Jesus tells us that “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30 NIV). Seriously. Not even my mother has ever attempted to count the hairs on my head—and she loves me tremendously. Yet, here Jesus emphasizes the extent of God’s care for us by telling us that He knows us in such intimate detail He could tell us exactly how many hair follicles are attached to our scalps. Time after time, over and over, God tells us … We. Are. Loved.You, dear reader, are loved like a doting parent or grandparent loves a new baby. Only more. You are loved by the One who made you and formed you in secret. He cares about the path you are on and wants to keep your ankles from turning. He knows every bit of you and still loves you so much He died for you. The verses in the Bible that detail His love are stunning in their variety and their intensity. Here are a few more about your physical self for us to marvel over as we try to grasp it, to fathom this kind of specific love God has for those He made and wants to be His own.

• Your heart: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 (NIV).
• Your tongue: “Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” (Psalm 139:4 NIV).
• Your foot: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3 NIV).
• Your hand: “The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand” (Psalm 121:5 NIV).

On days when nothing is going right, during long nights when you churn restlessly with worry or despair, at times when your mind repeatedly reminds you of something particularly awkward you said or did … remember this:

You are loved. Despite every flaw and foible. By the God who made you. Nestle close, ask forgiveness, if it’s needed, and then relax into the always-present arms of your Abba-Father. Truly, He loves you from hair to ankle and everything in between!

Abba-Father, thank You for these sweet reminders from Scripture that You love me intimately and wholly. I don’t deserve it for a moment. I can’t quite comprehend it when I consider the vastness of the universe and how infinitesimally small my place is in it. But I believe You. And I am filled with joy that You love me. And Abba? I love You, too. Because of Jesus, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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