You are special

   The other day I was reading the book " You are Special" by Max Lucado
(my new favorite book) and I was struck by the simplicity and yet complexity of the book. The book starts off my talking about these Wemmicks who are all different. It goes on to explain that the Wemmick start giving stars to the people that are talented and pretty and dots to the people that are not. The ones who had dots got more dots just for having dots. Well one day the main character sees a girl with no dots or stars and asks her why she doesn't have any. She says that she doesn't have any because she visited the woodcarver.So the boy decides to go see Eli ( the woodcarver) This is what he says:
 Eli picked him up and set him on his bench. "Looks like you have been given some bad marks," said the maker.
 " I didn't mean to, Eli. I tried really hard."
 " Punchinello, I don't care what other Wemmicks think."
 "you don't "
 " No, you shouldn't either, what they think doesn't matter . All that matters is what I think. And I think you are pretty special." Eli then goes on to say " The stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you trust my love, the less you care about their stickers." "For now, come and see me every day and let me remind you how much I care."
 At the end of the book Eli says " You are special because I made you, and I don't make mistakes."
   This book really spoke to me, because in a society where we are taught from a very young age to care what others think. To dress because it looks good, to have a nice house to others will look fondly upon us, to drive nice cars. And to really be completely unsatisfied with all of it and want more. What are we striving for? We are striving for dots and stars from others when it all doesn't even matter. God calls us to only care about what he thinks. He gently reminds us to spend time with him daily, reading the bible and praying, basking in his Glory so that he can remind us how much we matter, and how much he loves us. He created us to live on this earth not to live in the riches of the world but to bring Glory to his name. He doesn't care if we have a Gucci bag or if we have grow out from a dye job. If we are so caught up in the day to day competition and want, where is their room for Christ?
   I often read this book, not because Kaleb likes it but because it is such a great, but simple reminder of where our focus should be as his sons and daughters.