For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!Psalm 129:13-14, 17 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you . . .Jeremiah 1:5 

One of the most interesting things about the bog is the wildlife that inhabits the spongy surface.  Due to the anaerobic nature of the water and the nutrient deprived carpet, plants living in the bog must depend on other-than-normal means of getting those nutrients needed to survive.  It is in the bog that we find some of the world’s most unique plants.  The pitcher plant is one of the carnivorous plants found in the bog.  It looks just like its name.  It stands upright and has some water in the bottom of the pitcher.  The bright color of the plant attracts flies and the aroma of the pitcher plant lures the fly to descend into the plant with the hope of a tasty dinner.  Unfortunately for the fly, it is the food.  The pitcher plant is equipped with tiny, downward point hairs that do not allow the fly to escape.  The fly eventually falls into the water below which is filled with digestive enzymes produced by the plant.  Also found in the bog are the sundew which attracts the insects with its glistening, sticky dew drops; and the Venus flytrap which snaps closed over the unsuspecting fly.  Each plant found in the bog was uniquely designed by the Creator to live and thrive in the low nutrient, acidic ecosystem of the bog.

 

Just like there is a design and purpose to each plant and animal that inhabits the bog, so also do we have a unique design and purpose given to us by our loving God.  The love which God displayed to us began long before we could understand anything.  He expressed His concern for us from the womb.  Each part of us that formed was, in essence, crafted by the Master Craftsman.  God’s design of us and His overall care and concern for us is what separates us from the animals.  We are special to God from the very beginning of our lives.  We have been created to maximize God’s glory.  We are the only earthly created beings that can vocalize our praise to God.  We are the only earthly created beings that can vocalize our praise to God.  We are the only created beings to whom God has made available the gift of salvation by grace through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on Calvary.  With our redemption from our sins comes the greatest opportunity to praise and glorify God for His great salvation.

 

That God designed us with a purpose is absolutely amazing.  God has gifted and skilled each of us with the talents and abilities that we need to be what He desires us to be.  God informed the prophet Jeremiah that before his birth God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life.  Each of us has a purpose ordained by God.  Because God is the One who placed in us those skills and abilities that make us unique everything that we do can be an act of worship.  I think that we spend too much time, sometimes, wondering what we are to do in life.  God places in us interests and abilities.  Whatever those are, do all to the glory of God.  Whatever God has designed you to do, do it with passion and fervor for God.  When we seek to serve God through our personal, uniquely designed bodies and hearts we redirect to Him the glory that is due His name.

God has created you with care and purpose.  Discover those talents and skills with which God has gifted you and do it – with the mindset of glorifying God.  Don’t allow someone to tell you that you cannot do something that you know God has programmed you to do.  Determine that, with God’s help, you will be what He designed you to be.  Determine that you will glorify God with your life.