Sometimes a hand-made gift can mean more than any store bought gift because it comes from the heart. What does it mean to be hand-made? It means being made by the hands of an individual, and to God the father; all of his children are hand-made by him. Now let's take this concept farther, a wedding planner is planning a wedding for a bride with a small budget, and she chooses to hand-make some of the decorations to help cut down some of the significant costs of a wedding for her bride with a small budget. The bride loves it and the wedding day continues as planned. Throughout the reception her guest comments on the beauty of the decorations that were put together by the wedding planner to match her image. God hand-made his children in his image, to serve Him and serve one another and while doing so; he knew the plans for the individual and the pathway that may be shown by some small pieces of the puzzle for the bigger picture.

Individuals are hand-made by God with love and though he already knows the ultimate plans for that person, the life they live and choose may be completely different then the pathway they thought of how their lives will go. Hand-made in God's image and though life may throw the curve-balls we need to try to remember that we are representing the Father who loves his children. I often think of a father and daughter image when I think of the relationship that we should try to have with our Father above, because being a child of God and made in his image, we should try to serve him and love him just as much as we would our earthly fathers, and even more because you were made of love.

Genesis 5:1 (TNIV) This is the written account of Adam's family line. When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God.

Psalm 100:3 (NIV) Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Acts 17: 26 (TNIV) From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

We were hand-made in God's image and throughout our lives we should be trying everyday to Serve God and represent the father who gave us the gift of life. Not all gifts are bought, because sometimes the hand-made gifts that come straight from the heart are the gifts that matter the most; with God being the creator of the hand-made individuals. Remember that you were made in God's image and you are his child. Amen.