Jesus the famous one looking at me

I think we all struggle with wanting to be special and important. We all have an innate desire to be something or someone special. To stand out. To be significant and important and valuable and lovely. We often hear and know on a head level that we are significant and important because we are God's child and He loves us, but that doesn't seem to really stop us from looking for significance and importance in other places. When you really observe our lives, we are frantically and desperately looking for significance in the ways we perform in sports or school or our job or whatever role we happen to find ourselves in. We love compliments way too much and often find that our mood and sense of well being is determined by how well we are performing, how well we are liked, and how important or significant others think we are.



One thing that greatly helps me combat this is meditating on the fame of Jesus. Lets say that a very famous person whom I admired and respected immensely, like Mother Teresa, came through my town and I happened to be in a place where she was coming through. Lets say a large crowd of people were gathered to hear her speak. As she is walking through the crowd of people, I would feel great admiration and respect for her. I might imagine what it would be like to be good friends with Mother Teresa and to be greatly loved, esteemed, and respected by her. Lets say that as she is walking through the crowd, she stops in front of me and says, "you know I have heard about you Natalie and I think you are really special. I want to get to know you, hear your dreams and passions, and share about my life with you too. After I speak can you come have lunch with me and stay with me? I want to get to know you more." That would indeed make me feel very special and significant.

Now I imagine being in the presence of Jesus one day. He will be the most famous one of all history and all time far and away above all others EVER!! Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. He is the famous one! Now I picture a similar scenario of Him walking through a sea of people praising Him. Finally I get to stand before Him and I leap into His arms. He tells me how much he loves me and how special and valuable I am to Him. I am the apple of his eye and his little girl. I want that reunion to be like two best friends being reunited. I want to be able to look Him in the eyes and say, "I love you with all of my being too. I have lived for this moment. I know you intimately." Wow! I have tears in my eyes thinking about that.

Meditating on it like that helps me realize how incredibly special I am because God loves me, and that I don't need to look for that significance anywhere else. That is such a freeing thought to be secure in my Father's love for me!