Recently I was looking for a book to read to the kindergarten class with which I was working, and I came across a book I hadn’t read in a very long time. That book was "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. Since it had been awhile since I last read the book, I figured I’d take a moment to reread it. As I was reading, it was though I had been given new eyes or, perhaps, just a new perspective. I’ve always known the book was meant to portray our relationship with God, but I never realized how applicable it was to my own life.

For those who haven’t read the book, here’s a brief synopsis. There’s a group of wooden people called Wemmicks, and a man named Eli carved them. All day long the people go around the town putting stickers on people for various reasons. When people do good things or look good, they are given a star. If people do foolish things or don’t look as good as the others, they are given a gray dot. One particular character, Punchinello, has received a tremendous amount of gray dots. He eventually becomes discouraged by this and becomes afraid to venture outside of his home. One day, he meets a girl with no dots or stars. She tells him that she doesn’t want the dots or the stars from anyone. The girl tells him that she visits the woodcarver every day and that Punchinello should go see him as well. Eventually, Punchinello ventures out to meet the woodcarver. Punchinello is shocked when the woodcarver knows his name but is quickly reminded that the woodcarver made him. The woodcarver, Eli, looks at Punchinello and notices the various gray dots. Punchinello immediately becomes ashamed, to which Eli quickly states that he does not care what the other people think of Punchinello. Eli tells Punchinello that the only opinion that matters is his (Eli’s), and he thinks Punchinello is very special. When Punchinello asks what makes him special, Eli simply replies by saying that Punchinello is his, and therefore, Punchinello matters to him. Eli explains that the girl had no dots because she decided that what he thought was more important than what the others thought. One of the most profound statements that Eli makes is this: “The stickers only stick if you let them.” He 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.” Once Punchinello began to believe this, the stickers began to fall off.

I began to think of what my life would look like if I bought into this truth. There are so many times I get caught up in the lie that what others think of me matters more than what God thinks of me. Thankfully, He is a gracious God and brings me back to Himself each time, reminding me that I am special to Him. One of the things for which I am most thankful is that I don’t have to play some guessing game with God like I do with people. I already know what He thinks of me. He thinks I am special; I am beautiful; I am His masterpiece; and, best of all, He has deemed me worthy of His love. If that’s not the greatest gift ever, then I don’t know what is. Unfortunately, there are times when I forget about that gift. Thankfully, God reminds me of His truth time and time again.

One of the reasons the girl was confident in who she was made to be was because she spent time with her maker every day. Spending time with God is one of the things that can have the biggest influence on your opinion of yourself. Someone who is firm in their faith is less likely to be swayed by others’ opinions. We must be spending time with our Maker daily to help us develop a boldness and confidence in Christ. It is something only He can give us, but we must know Him in order to receive it.

I encourage you to remember these few things. Man does not establish your worth; God decides this, and He has already made that decision. God has decided that you are special, and you are His child. What others think of you does not matter. Delight in the fact that you are God’s child, and you are so loved. One last thing, you are special!