Week 1
Welcome to our study of Wonderfully Made, by Allie Marie Smith! I am so excited to be on this journey with you to explore God’s purpose for our lives!
Hopefully you’ve received your book, but if not- don’t worry! You can get your very own copy here!
Throughout this study, I will be going through the reading guide and journal, which you can download here! Every Saturday, I will be posting my own summaries and thoughts from this past week’s reading passages. Follow along on Instagram to stay up to date as well as to share your own thoughts and insights!
Notes from my reading journal-
My daily reading goal will be first thing in the morning (5:30ish), before the rest of my family wakes up and the chaos of a new day begins. I plan to primarily read/ study in our breakfast room, but real life- we’ll see, it will most likely be anywhere that isn’t covered with a mound of toys so I can sit down with my (extra large) cup of coffee!
So let’s see, what do I already know about God’s WHERE for my life?
Well, not much! This is after-all what I’m trying to accomplish here, right?! I know that He has a plan for me and at one point, I felt sure I was in God’s “WHERE” for my life, I’m just not sure I still am, or if He’s calling me in a slightly different direction these days.
I’m hoping to get out of this study the following:
Self reflection & exploration of my purpose as well as to research the question, am I still in God’s WHERE for me
Ok so that was a fun intro and I hope you gained some insight as you were doing your self reflection piece in your reading journal! Now let’s jump right in!!
INTRO Notes:
I love how raw and honest Allie is here; she could have easily said “I had some struggles when I was younger,” or “My teenage years were rough” but no, she goes into details about her depression and her struggle with wanting to commit suicide- how brave! I love that she is up front, putting her story right out there, in the beginning of this study!
The thing that really jumps out to me here is the scene with the flat tire and the old man. Are you a “everything happens for a reason” kind of person? I am! Wholeheartedly, I am! So it makes me smile so big to think of this teenage girl’s plans getting completely interrupted by a bigger plan- and that bigger plan being carried out in the form of a flat tire! Do you ever then spiral- what caused the flat tire? Was it a nail in the road? I wonder if a construction truck carrying construction materials dropped the nail? How deep can this rabbit hole go?! So somebody somewhere started a construction project, hired the contractor, who went and bought the nails, but then he’s driving down the road, hits a bump, the nail bounces off his work truck, in just the right spot to puncture Allie’s tire- all to carry out the bigger picture of her not being able to get to the Golden Gate Bridge that day! I know, I know, I spiraled so I digress- I just love how “little” “normal” activities all work together to carry out the plans of our Lord!
It also makes me smile to think of the old man in this scene! Do you think he had any idea? In any other scenario, would he have been seen more as a nuisance? Look dude, I’m on my way to work/ daycare/ date night/ whatever, I don’t have time to chat with you! But on this day- he was actually carrying out the bigger picture that Allie NEEDED! Before I spiral again- I just love that our God is so BIG, so omniscient, that He is everywhere- He knew the plans of the teenage Allie, He knew she had a bigger role to play in His plan, and He set things in motion to make sure that her plans weren’t carried through.
Now, I recommend pausing to find your Bible so you can flip to Psalm 139 and take a minute to read it! I know Allie has it printed here in the book, and that’s great! but there’s something about holding a Bible, flipping to a passage, and soaking it in!!
CHAPTER 1-
Bible passages found within in this chapter:
*again, as noted above, I strongly encourage you to keep your Bible handy and flip to these passages as you are reading these chapters. If you have an extra minute (haha, funny I know) but IF you have a spare second, maybe read the verse above and the verse below so that you are in the right context and able to really grasp the meaning behind these verses!
Genesis 1-2, the creation story
Job 38:4-7
Romans 1:20
Notes:
I love love love the way Allie presents creation and the fact that we along with everything, including our purpose, is Made by God. I found the quotes she shared super interesting- it is astounding to me that people (often our friends and real people in our real world) can believe that everything was created from nothing. So basically since our world was created intentionally, with precision & order- we were created as a part of that intentional order, meaning we must play a part in this overarching “order”
It’s funny to me- I often feel “unhinged” living in a life of seemingly chaos. Toys everywhere, kids screaming, house desperately in need of a deep clean, often pushing the limits of trying to get anywhere on time or doing anything by its deadline. Constantly trying to walk the ever-increasingly-challenging tightrope of work/life balance and fight off the mom-guilt! Am I working too much? Am I not working hard enough? Am I spending enough time with my kids? my husband? Is my boss ok with the work-product I’ve turned in? The list is endless!! So to think behind all that chaos is a plan, a greater plan that is so great indeed, it is worked into the fibers of the same plan that created the world and all the parts of the world so that everything fits together like a puzzle- a puzzle designed by God, a puzzle that needs all the pieces (big and small), a puzzle that creates a beautiful picture when all the pieces fit together, a picture that was hand drawn by God!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
The most beautiful place I’ve ever been was Ireland. It was a sprawling, lush green countryside with adorable sheep peacefully grazing at every turn. During our trip there, it seemed as if the country was filled with some of the nicest, most welcoming people I’d ever met!
When gazing at the beauty of creation, I love that peaceful, deep-breath feeling. That “pour-me-a-large-coffee” feeling; that I just want to sit here and breathe it in feeling; a feeling that’s hard to put into words, but you feel it- ya know?
Knowing that I was created by God, by The Creator, assures me that there is a bigger picture, a greater purpose for me and my life. It doesn’t necessarily mean that my life is meant to be bigger or greater- it very well be that my life was designed to be small, quiet, and overall uneventful; however, I know that whatever my life is supposed to be was designed by God to work within His plan, as a specific part of His plan.
CHAPTER 2-
Bible passages found within this chapter:
Isaiah 46:9-10
Old Testament Prophecies
Psalms & Gospels of hope
Red Sea parted
Jonah swallowed by fish
Flood covered Earth
Sun stood still
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Matthew 4:4
James 1:21
Notes:
For some reason it really grabbed my attention in reading this that while we are “made to know God” we are simultaneously charged with becoming more like Jesus. Isn’t it funny the whole Jesus is God, but Jesus acts on our behalf to bridge the gap between God and us, and we are called to become more like one (Jesus) and called to know the other (God). I don’t know, maybe this is splitting hairs it just seems fascinating to me the similarities yet the distinct difference here. Anyway, back to the point- I am thoroughly enjoying this journey with you- both in Diane Stortz’s A Woman’s Guide to Reading the Year as well as this study of Wonderfully Made by Allie Marie Smith!! I think the combination of these two studies is doing exactly what this chapter is about- helping us to study God’s word in order to better know Him, therefore also better knowing ourselves and His purpose for our lives, so I sincerely hope the same is true for you too, friend!!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
The Bible is God’s word, sent as our guide- how to live here on Earth but more importantly how to prepare to live eternally with God.
Of course if you’ve been following along at theWHEREblog, you know I am passionate about gaining a better/ deeper understanding of the Bible, after-all that’s what started my blog. I wholeheartedly believe the Bible has the power to transform my/ your life and genuinely hope I spend enough time in the Bible that I am able to navigate this life here on Earth the way God would have me to!
Not so much a verse, but a book of the Bible, Nehemiah, has and continues to have a profound impact on my life! I’m not sure why this book speaks to me so deeply but everytime I read it, it feels like it applies in new ways or new parts of my life. Primarily the whole- he paused, prayed, and THEN spoke. As much as I wish I could honestly say I do this every time, I don’t. Sometimes, on some occasions, yes of course- I say a little prayer before opening my mouth- but certainly not enough! I strive to always have the mentality of “Lord give me the words” before I decide to just jump right in, often sticking my foot in my mouth or saying something that was better left unsaid.
CHAPTER 3-
Bible passages found within this chapter:
John 3:16
Corinthians 15:6
Matthew 11:28-36
Romans 8:38-39
Romans 10:19
2 Corinthians 5:17
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
I grew up in church, so I really can’t remember not hearing about Jesus. I remember dinner time prayers, bedtime prayers, bedtime Bible stories, singing in the “King’s Kids” at church, so I can’t put my finger on an exact 1st time I heard about Jesus. I remember being in 3rd grade and feeling a tug at my heart; I remember my mom calling our pastor and having him come over to talk to me and praying the salvation prayer with me before being baptized at our little mountain church. Despite always knowing of Jesus, and even being a Christian and knowing Jesus- I think I really started feeling Jesus once my kids entered the picture. When my husband and I had a miscarriage, I leaned on Jesus; that experience nearly broke me and I relied on Jesus to pull me through every day and night. When we (finally) got pregnant with our rainbow baby, again I needed Jesus to help me put one foot in front of the other- I was terrified of everything, scared to death of “messing up again.” Then during my actual delivery, when everything went wrong, the only thing I remember (literally the only thing I remember within a span of several hours) is thinking “help me, help me, help me” as they wheeled my nearly unconscious self into the operating room. Then again following the birth of our 2nd child, when he was in the ICU with meningitis at 2 weeks old, the only coherent thought in my head was the old timey hymn “Just as I am” NO CLUE why that was the song, but for some strange reason that was the song that I could not get out of my head for days as we sat anxiously awaiting every breath. So even though I can’t remember the 1st time I heard about Jesus, I can most certainly remember the times I’ve felt Jesus and those times absolutely without doubt tell me He is Lord!
I hope you all were able to gain something out of these chapters and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!! Next week we’re reading chapters 4-7 so stay tuned on here and on Instagram. Love you, friends!
