Favorite or favor?

Mason was playing in the house yesterday and he found himself be-bopping around my office. I was sitting at my desk messing around on the computer. He was asking me about certain books on my bookshelf and fiddling with papers on my desk. He bounced over to me and began looking at my computer screen. "What cha' doin' Mom?" he asked. "Reading some of my friends' blogs", I said. About that time I had scrolled down to the bottom of my blog page. He noticed the family of penguins at the bottom of the page. (If you haven't seen them, they are quite cute.) "That's our family of penguins Mom?" he asked. "Yes" I quickly responded. "Which one am I?" he asked. "The one on the end", I said as I pointed to it. "That one?" he asked. "Yes", I said "the cutest one." "I'm the cutest kid in the family?!" he exclaimed. "Your the cutest penguin", I said. "Yeh, but I am the cutest kid too, right Mom" he replied. "Yes. You are the cutest kid." I said smiling. With that response he was pleased and be-bopped out of the room singing, "I'm the cutest ki-id. I'm the cutest penguin." I couldn't help to giggle out loud.

We all want to feel special, especially with our parents. We all have the need to be the best at something, to get that certain approval of our Mom and Dad. Even at the age of eight years old, my son has the want to be the cutest and to know that we think that he is. The favorite. So much so, that he finds delight in it enough, to break out in song about it. I've found myself in need of this once or twice in my lifetime...favortism. The approval of my mother or father was something that I worked hard for. The need to feel like I was special to them. Is this because I also searched for an approval that comes from a much higher authority? God's approval. I've come to know that there is no such thing as "earning approval" from Him.

I don't have to be the best at something for Him to acknowledge the greatness that He has instilled in me. Even if I didn't have anything that helped me to stand out in greatness, He would love me and have me as His own anyway. The only thing He asks of me, is to take His son as Lord of my life, and that alone gives me FAVOR with Him. That alone gives me greatness, and is something more special to Him than if I were trimmed in gold and silver. It's not about my talents, my abilities or even how "cute" I am. It's about His promise to me as a believer in Him!

Psalm 5:12

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Romans 3:22

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

A SHIELD of FAVOR! Righteousness from God! Now that's something special!

That's enough to break out in praise and sing about!!

The world will try and tell us that we are not good enough, cute enough, smart enough, skinny enough, or even wealthy enough...but, our Father in Heaven says differently. We are special in His eyes...and that's what matters most. Who are you going to trust? The world who thrives on selfishness and personal gain, or the God who willingly gave you His only Son, that you may have favor with Him in this world, and also promises you a new and better one to come!

I know who I trust.

Who do you trust?

Which do you desire? To be someone's favorite...or to seek His favor?

Psalm 84:11

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Psalm 13:6

I will sing to the Lord for he has been good to me.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.