“…he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.” Psalm 33:15 ESV

Raising twins brought me a lot of insight into the human need to be seen as an individual. My twins are fraternal—a boy and a girl. And as the saying goes, as different as night and day. And yet still alike in so many ways, most significantly their love for others and their heart for service.

They are grown-ups with their own families now, but there was a time when my daughter lamented that she couldn’t even have a birthday all to herself. They shared everything. She longed for her uniqueness and individuality to be seen. In my defense, I did deliver her two hours before her brother (*not recommended), so she had two whole hours as an only child.

Her brother, after having arrived two hours behind his sister, has spent the first twenty-six years of his life in a sprint to make sure he’s never last again. He longed to be known for who he was, not as the “little brother” who showed up late to his own birth.

The need to be seen

Every person we know has a desire to be seen and known as a distinctly unique human being—even if what they want you to see is that they’d like to be left alone (any introverts out there?).

Psalm 33 reminds us that God fashions each of our hearts. The word heart here reflects our inner man, our soul. It is the comprehending mind, affections, and will. But what this isn’t is our unique personalities. 

The word fashion used here carries more of the meaning of the divine act of forming and shaping, not creating. He shapes our heart—our soul—with His goodness and mercy. 

A dive into some deeper Bible study helps us see this verse as a reminder that God is in control. 

It is a matter of how we apply what He has written on our hearts that shapes our personalities.

My children are an example. In matters of God’s design, His wisdom and truth, they may each live it out or apply it a bit differently, but God’s foundational truth is evident in their lives. The matter of their differences is only a manifestation of the unique ways they’ve experienced the world around them and how they’ve chosen to respond to the challenges or express their faith. This is what gives them each a unique personality.

But at the core, their hearts have been fashioned the same. So have ours.

Hearts matched by God

Think of it like this. As a mother, I can fashion a matching outfit for each of them. (*Note … Please do not try this on your adult children unless you’re keen on the possibility of being referred for a possible psychiatric evaluation.)

Now they each have all the same articles of clothing fashioned with care by their loving parent. But how they choose to wear those clothes is where their unique personality can be seen. Perhaps he tucks the shirt into his jeans (he would). Perhaps she twists the hem of the shirt into a cute little knot and rolls the pants up (she would).

Different, yet the same.

How might it change the way we interact and care for our fellow man if we could see past the personality to the heart fashioned by God?

This is an important consideration. The rest of this verse tells us that God is watching to see what we do with what He has given us. It’s not about our uniqueness or individuality, though there’s nothing wrong with those things. I think the fact that we are all different in that respect is a beautiful thing. It certainly makes life more interesting.

It’s about not allowing our desire for individuality to overshadow the heart God has given each of us. 

And it’s about looking beyond the surface expression to see the heart God has fashioned.

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