Human Development Theory - Papalia & Feldman

According to Papalia & Feldman, from conception, a life has similar patterns of growth changes, from babies to children, to adolescents and then adulthood, all with certain personality characteristics in common. Such as, 10 to 15 percent of children may be shy, while another 10 to 15 percent may be bold. Nevertheless, they concluded that in spite of these similarities, at conception, when that single cell developed, it created a unique individual that remains special in other ways (Papalia & Feldman, 2011, p. 6).

The Psalmist David wrote, "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" Psalm 139:14-16 (NIV). These verses depict God as the creator and the one that gives us our authenticity with our very own divine design manual. David's design manual describes him as being, "fearfully and wonderfully made" by God. Considering that we measure the value or uniqueness of, say a painting based on the skill or mastery of the artist for example Rembrandt, then, could you imagine how unique and valuable we must be, since we were created by the most skilled artisan in the universe? Each person is indeed wonderfully made with a given set of unique DNA, fingerprints, retina pattern, physical appearance, personality, talents and abilities. We also have our very own stamp of approval, found in Genesis 1:28 that guarantee that all that God made was good.

Also, as we reflect on what Jesus said about our worth in Matthew, he stated, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV). Here Jesus places a distinct worth on how precious and valuable each of us are in His eyes and the fact that he keeps account of the most intricate details of our lives, even to the strands of our hair. Additionally, if we ponder that the definition of value, is what someone is willing to pay for something, then each individual must be rare and uniquely valuable, for Jesus paid the full price with His precious blood, which is substantially more valuable that silver or gold, to free mankind from the penalty of sin. He purchased us by back from the possession of Satan. As it states in 1Corinthians 6:19b-20 "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1Co 6:19-20 WEB) and John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

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