Planned For God’s Pleasure

Do you have family photos on your refrigerator? You know, the ones of family members just married, or just born, or just graduated? Silly pictures of toddlers doing silly things? Christmas postcards placed on that fridge of distant relatives’ exotic travels? I imagine that in Heaven, God also has family photos plastered all over those refrigerators stuffed with food for our eternal feasts. Maybe he has some baby pictures of you. Is there one of your cousin when she was baptized? Will you find one of you the first time you put on your spiritual armor to battle the forces of evil? Do you see a picture of a doctor praying over someone before surgery? What about that one where you see God comforting your Mom after your Dad died? Look, there is also one of you just laughing with Jesus, enjoying each other’s company!

Have you ever wondered why God created you? I would say it’s because he wants the joy that only you can bring. You are one of the billions of people with photographs of life’s memories on his refrigerator, so to speak. Every time he looks at one of those pictures, he delights in you. His love and compassion overflow for you. He is proud of you. You are his child. No matter what you have done or what you didn’t achieve, he still displays your photos on that fridge. He knows you inside and out like no other. He calls you His.

How do you respond to his love and grace for you? Would you say that you are in love with God? Look at the youngest of humans: babies, toddlers and preschoolers. How do they gain favor and love from their parents? It’s pretty simple. They just “be'' themselves. Even before they are born, they are adored by their parents. They cling to their parents for comfort and safety. They come to their parents to learn about the world and how to function in it. They prefer their parents over all others. They spend a lot of time with their parents. They give their parents hugs and kisses and tokens of their affection, such as drawings they have colored or rocks or flowers they have collected. They learn love from their parents, discipline and how to be kind. They understand that there is a purpose in belonging to their family. They know their role. They are someone special to their parents, and they live in that confidence daily. First and foremost, those little humans love their dads and moms. In that love, those little people will find fulfillment. In that shared love, their parents will also find deep purpose and fulfillment.

As children in God’s family, our purpose, too, is to first and foremost, return the love the Lord has shared with us. Be a little child again! Spend a lot of time with God. Place him in first place above all others. Draw strength and security from him. Learn from him. Give him praise and affection. Know that you are special to him and belong with him. You are a valued member of the family. In this love, you will find your purpose. In this love, you will live out your purpose, fulfilled.