Psalm 139
15 My substance was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
In The Sound of Music, Julie Andrews sang, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
Keith came into the world on 5 March 1959, born at home at 247 Cooper Lane in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK.
He was the third son of Eric and Rita Hobkirk. He had two brothers, Philip and Peter. He was closest to his middle brother, Peter, who sadly died in 2017.
My parents were hardworking people. They tried to do their best for this very small person who was quiet all day but screamed at night.
Later, I found out that I was only born because my mother had miscarried a baby girl. My father had wanted a girl — but he got me. Much later, I was told that I was not really wanted.
Has this been your experience?
Maybe you have been told that you were unwanted or abandoned by your parents.
But you are not.
You are not a mistake. God saw you. He knew you even before you were born.
His love is greater than that of any human mother or father.
I do not hold any bitterness toward my parents. They did their very best for me. But it was — and is — the true love of God, and of course my dear family, that has transformed my life.
I cannot remember much about my early childhood. The first memorable event was moving to Morecambe, where my parents were to take over the operation of a retirement home run by the Bradford Council.
Before I left for Morecambe, I had an eye operation to correct a squint in my left eye. Throughout my life, I have needed to wear glasses.
So at the age of five, I moved to the sunny seaside town of Morecambe. Life was about to change in a big way.
Off to Morecambe we went — a whole new adventure.
Devotional Thought
People today are searching for value. One of the major causes of suicide is the feeling of having no value.
Some of you reading this may feel unwanted or even deserted by your parents. Some of you may have been born in very difficult circumstances — perhaps as the result of rape or sexual assault.
Whatever your situation — however and wherever you were born — God was there. He saw everything.
As I said earlier, you are not a mistake. I was told that I was not wanted. Yes, I was loved — but not wanted.
Only when you come to Christ can you find your true value. Only in Christ can you experience the true love of God the Father and be filled with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Verses to Ponder
Ephesians 1:3–14
Jeremiah 29:11–13