Who's Your Fav?

Marshall was asked recently, "Which of your kids is your favorite?" Marshall responded wisely, "All of them are my favorite." He went on to explain why when the person kept insisting that one of them HAD to be his favorite. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I used to be so afraid that one or all of my children would grow up feeling that I favor one of them over another.

So I asked God for help and He has really opened my eyes to the beauty of each of my children. In doing this, I've seen how they are created in His image with different attributes of His. Eliza displays the more serious, deep side of God. She has this spiritual depth and wisdom that is amazing! She is very conscientious and a serious rule-follower. She is a compassionate, tender-hearted little girl. I see God's attributes of compassion and justice through Eliza.

Psalter is very different. She is a free-spirited little girl, fun to be around, a social butterfly. She never stops talking and includes everybody. She will bend the rules, not maliciously, she's just not very conscientious. She has a way with people wherever she is, in the emergency room, at the Dr.'s office, in a classroom, in a store, people are just drawn to her. I see the fun side of God here. He longs for us to live life freely, which we can only do through a relationship with Christ. This is a side of God that a lot of people don't see. Psalter is a great example of it!

Then there's Jacob. What a delightful little guy. He's so happy. I love to watch him notice something. Pointing, taking a big gasp and eyes wide, then some sort of vocal exclamation. His excitement about life rubs off. He also has a certain charm with people. I think that God wants us to see life through a baby's eyes. Why else would He mention that we need to have faith like a child? He wants us to see the beauty and newness to life. He promises that His mercies are new every morning. Would we see them without "child-like" eyes?

The best thing I've learned from all of this is that each of my children is my favorite because each of them is so unique from the others. This has got to be how God sees us, too. We were created in His image, yet each of us different from one another. And...even better...I am His favorite and so are you! It feels good to be someone's favorite, doesn't it? Especially the God of the universe!