The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation

THIS IS ME! | Convo #3: I Am Wonderfully Designed

• Tosha Williams for FDM

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What if the most freeing words for your family are hiding in plain sight? We open Psalm 139:13–16 and let its language about being fearfully and wonderfully made cut through the noise that says you must measure up, fit in, or become someone else. From the knitting metaphor that reveals God’s patient craftsmanship to the promise that our days are written with care, we explore how biblical identity reshapes the way we parent, perform, and perceive our worth.

Together Tosha and Wendy name the “not enough” lie and trade it for truth you can hand to your kids. We talk candidly about sibling comparison on the field, body image, and the constant scoreboard of modern life. You’ll hear practical ways to affirm a child’s unique strengths without turning affirmation into flattery, and how to point each gift back to the Designer. We also widen the lens: if God saw us when we were unformed, then every life holds inherent value from the very beginning, a conviction that changes how we speak and how we act.

We share a simple listening practice: ask God, “What do You see in me?” then make space for an answer that aligns with Scripture. Write it down. Model it for your kids. Pair it with Ephesians 2:10 to connect design with purpose—God’s handiwork ready for good works prepared in advance. By the end, you’ll have language to replace comparison with gratitude, stories to spark conversations at home, and steps to help your family live from identity rather than chasing it.

If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs the reminder, and leave a quick review to help more families find these conversations. What unique gift is God highlighting in you today?

Follow this episode with diving into the devotion-driven discipleship guide, which can be found at the Family Disciple Me app!

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back to the Family Disciple Me podcast. Hi, my name is Tasha, and I'm here in the podcast, well, Clawfiss, with my friend Wendy. Hi, I'm so excited to be back here again having another conversation with you, Tasha. And we're gonna continue talking about the truths about our identity from Psalm 139. So far, we've talked about two truths. I am completely known. I am never alone. And now today we're going to talk about the next truth that God has for us. And today's truth, well, it might be one of the most important ones for our kids to hear in a world that is consistently telling them that they need to be something, well, different than what they are. That's right. And today's truth is I am wonderfully designed. I love that because it reminds us that we're not accidents, we're not mistakes. God made us with a purpose, intention, and love. Yes, he did. And I don't know about you, but I need this reminder sometimes. And so do our kids. The world tells them that they have to measure up, that they have to fit in, that they have to change themselves, that they should change themselves, that they need to be, quote, enough. But God says in his word, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. And that means we as parents, well, we have an incredible role, not just to believe this truth for ourselves, but to speak it over our children. Yes, so let's spend a few moments today talking about this specific truth found in Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16. As we get started with this podcast episode, I'm just going to be honest with you. You ready? I am ready, and I think our audience is ready as well. Okay, so here's here's me being honest. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at myself and thought, if I was just a little bit more of this and a little bit less of that, well, then I'd be just right. Isn't that what we all feel if we're being honest with each other and ourselves? There's always this sense of, are we good enough? I still feel that way sometimes as an adult, but I remember how hard that was when I was a kid and when I was a teenager and a young adult that I didn't feel adequate. I didn't feel like I'm measured up. Tasha, I think what you're saying right now, our listeners can relate to. I do not think that this is an isolated feeling. And it's something that we reckon with ourselves, and it's something that our kids are reckoning with right now as well. It's even more important that we dig into the word and see what God has to say about this exact situation. Absolutely. So that's why today we're going to spend time in Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16. And Wendy, listen to what God's Word says. For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. I can't tell you the numerous times I have read this passage, but today for some reason these words have really stood out to me. You knit me together in my mother's womb. Now I know that knitting I think is a lost art, but it reminds me of my grandmother. She made the most exquisite Afghans, and it was all through knitting. And as I look at this verse and I hear you read this verse, I realize knitting, well, it's not random. It's careful, it's detailed, and it's personal. That's how God made each of us. I remember so many times when within my family, one of my five kids would be struggling with self-worth or or body image or comparison. And it would be such an opportunity to talk to them about how God designed each of them uniquely, individually, wonderfully. I think we actually all need that reminder that God made us just the way he wanted us. And that he didn't make a mistake when he made us. I feel like we live in a society where kids are being trained to ask the question, Am I a mistake? And to try to change that. And yet the reality of God's word is that every single part of who you are, the way you are designed, is intentional, made with loving handiwork and designed with careful, detailed attention by God Himself. I think kids and adults alike will we all struggle to believe this truth, but the fact is we're not just bodies taking up space. We're each one a different individual. God made us in his image and we have immeasurable value. And the thing is, this isn't just about our own self-worth or our kids' self-worth. This truth applies to every single person, including the unborn. God tells us in this passage that He knew us before we ever took our first breath. This means that every life has value from the very beginning. It's not something we just grow up into. It's something that we're born with. We're born with value. And yet, in the midst of that value, all of us are unique and distinct. But here's the problem: this is where the comparison comes in, right? Absolutely. In my family, there's always been comparison amongst my children about their athletic abilities. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the way you look at it, my children played the same sport. And so they compared themselves against one another constantly. We had to come back and talk about how God made you with this athletic ability and this other child with this athletic ability. And that's okay. You pointed them back to God's intentional design in each of their lives. And even though it was a difficult conversation, because one may have wanted to play like the other one, the other one didn't feel as much of a comparison, but we were able to come back and say, God will use your athletic abilities, will use you the way he designed you for his purpose. So embrace that. The reality is that God doesn't make mistakes. Have you ever thought about ways that you're unique or different or how God sets you apart from others? You know, my son-in-law actually inspired me uh a while back to ask God about what he thought about me. Like, God, what do you think is special about me? It was such a humbling moment because my son-in-law, who's a pastor, was leading us through this exercise of listening to God's voice. And he challenged us to ask God that question, and then he gave us the space and the silence to ask God. And Wendy, the Lord spoke something to me. Well, you can't leave us hanging. You have to tell us what he speak to you. It's so personal that I don't even think I can say it. I haven't told anybody what he said, but I knew that it is something that he sees about me that's precious. And I felt like he said it like with a wink on his face, like, this is a really special way I made you, Tasha. I'm imagining that you actually wrote that down because I know you are a journaler. Yes, I am a journaler. And I wrote that down, and I treasure the way that he sees me in that because it was if he said, I made you this way for a purpose. I always love hearing stories of when people are challenged, and that story of how your son-in-law really got you thinking in a different way about how God thinks about you. Well, I think I'm gonna apply that to my own life. I'm I'm gonna sit in a place where I can really listen and hear what is God saying about me? What is he writing about me in his word? Well, and speaking of writing in his word, Wendy, we can't forget that scripture here that says, all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. That scripture, well, it actually reminds me of something that I've done for my own kids ever since before each of them was born. I've been writing them letters about, well, before they were born, about how much I love them, about how excited I was to see them. But then once they were born and I began to understand the kind of person they were and their uniqueness and their special traits and their funny things, I would write all those down through the years such that these days, those letters are like a treasure, Wendy. What a gift you have given your children. I know now at this stage, I mean, your children right now are having children. And I bet what you have done for them, they will do for their own children because of the power that those words have on that paper that they can read over and over and over. And it kind of blows me away that God has done the very same thing about us. That sweet word that he spoke to me into my heart when I was quiet and listened a couple months ago, that's just one of his words about the way he says, I made you this way, Tasha. And I get to treasure that and know that, but it's not about me. That's just an example of the fact that we can speak into our children's lives that they too, and even more so, are wonderfully made by God. God has really given each of us a special calling. And I really believe that we can really worship him by really stepping into that fully to really embrace and know who he has created us to be individually. Absolutely. And well, let's face it, we should always seek to become better versions of ourselves, right? Absolutely. Always want to become who he's created us to be more and more, but we don't have to wait until we're perfect to appreciate what God has already done and is doing in us. You know, in Ephesians 2.10, it says, For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So all this in mind, I love calling out the things I see in my kids, their talents, their kindness, their creativity. We don't have to argue so much about athletics in our family, but you know, there's different things that I can highlight about them that are so special, these strengths that are unique and that reflect God's design in each of them. And I think it's also important to wrap back around and encourage them to thank God for the way God made them. Oh, Wendy, there are so many truths here. Truths for our kids, but truths for us as well, right? Absolutely. It makes me just feel like these conversations are so important. And I hope that our listeners can take these conversations and be intentional about it when they turn around to speak to whoever they're speaking to. That's right. But it starts out with listening to what God is speaking into our own lives as we spend time with him and seek him. And then once we meet with God, we can turn around and make him known. Oh friend, be encouraged. I pray that you will know what God sees in you, the uniqueness that He created you with. I challenge you, spend time in this scripture this week. I challenge you to do what my son-in-law challenged me to do, to sit still in God's presence and say, God, what do you think about me? And then listen to what he says. And then, friend, out of all of that, turn around and live your God-given purpose. Because not only are you wonderfully designed, you're his handiwork. And the Bible tells us he has some good works prepared for you to do. So go do what God has created you and you alone to do. Be encouraged, friend. Wendy, thanks for joining me here in the studio for this episode. Until next time, go with God.