“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
I love Max Lucado’s children’s book, You Are Special*. It is the story of a community of Wemmicks (wooden people) who spend their days giving each other star stickers and dot stickers. Wemmicks give a star if another does something good. And they give a dot when another Wemmick does something bad.
One Wemmick, Puchinello, is covered in dots. He has so many “bad marks” he hardly wants to go outside anymore because he is afraid to get more dots. Then he hears about Eli, the woodcarver, who made all the Wemmicks. Puchinello visits Eli and learns he is loved. He learns that Eli doesn’t make any mistakes. All Puchinello needs to do is believe in Eli’s love and to care more for what Eli thinks and less for what the Wemmicks think and no star or dot will stick to him. In fact, as Punchinello leaves Eli’s house, he starts to believe and a dot falls to the ground.
The marks of the world are hard to ignore. Who doesn’t enjoy being praised and affirmed? It feels good to hear those things and it should! But of course, comments people make can hurt as much as they make us soar. How wonderful would it be to live in a place where negative comments didn’t matter?
An amazing God has created us! He loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us so we can have eternal life with Him. Just like the woodworker Eli, God doesn’t make mistakes. He made you and me with purpose and beauty. He wants us to look to Him for our self worth and not look to others. Sure it will still feel good when someone throws a star our way and sure it will still hurt if we are given a dot. However, with Christ we can take this all into perspective and choose to believe only what God sees…a beloved child.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Why is it easier to see only what others see in us rather than what God sees?
2. How can you begin to focus more on what God thinks of you?
FURTHER READING:
Job 34:19; John 3:16; Romans 5:8
* You Are Special by Max Lucado, Crossway, boardbook edition, 2000.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15QuHygLwFU