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Oct 06, 2024 18:00pm

God’s Favorite

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Did any of you have a nickname when you were growing up? Did you have a “pet name” your mother or daddy called you?

I had a few of them! Almost everyone calls me Diane, but a lot of my family still calls me Ann or Annie. One of my nicknames in school was “Counselor,” because I often listened to other people’s problems and offered suggestions. I wish I could stop at that one because it sounds so nice, but another one I had back then was “tugboat.” Let me explain that one — I used to go roller skating every week, but I didn’t have my own skates, so I had to rent them and the size of the skate was on the back of the skates for all the world to see. I wear a size 10! Hence, Tugboat! (My Daddy Bob used to say I’d be “really tall if there wasn’t so much turned down!”)

I don’t remember Daddy having a pet name for me, but my mother called me “Baby Girl,” and when she talked about me to others, she often referred to me as “My Diane.” Isn’t that sweet? There was only one problem — I only got called either one of those names was when I was very good, which I must confess wasn’t very often! Those “endearments” were very conditional.

When I wasn’t so good, she called me “Girl!” (forget the “Baby” part) and “your daughter” if she was telling Daddy what I had done wrong on that particular day. Aren’t you glad God isn’t like that? We’re always His “Baby Girl,” no matter how badly we’ve blown it. I’m always “His Diane,” His beloved daughter.

His love truly is amazing! I’ve heard it said that if God had a refrigerator, my picture would be on it. If He had a billfold, my picture would be in it.

After all, I’m His favorite Baby Girl… the neat thing is, every one of you is also His favorite! He can do that because He’s God! We’re all His favorite child.

I’ve always believed God loved me because I believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God and it tells me over and over that He loves me:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4-6).

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (and daughters!) of God…” (I John 3:1).

Those are just a few of the verses that talk of God’s love for us. His love is declared over and over throughout Scripture. So, yes, I do believe God loves me, but I’d be lying to you if I said I completely understand why He loves me.

I’ll be honest with you, I know me, and I know He knows me so much better than I know myself. So if I were God, I wouldn’t even like me, much less love me.

Fortunately for all of us, the truth is that God loves us because of who He is, not because of who we are! When He looks at me, He sees that little girl so many years ago who realized she was a sinner, confessed her sins, asked for forgiveness and asked His Son, Jesus to come into her heart and be her Savior. At that moment, I became His beloved little girl, and I always will be.

God doesn’t need me, but He does want me! And He doesn’t want me to do things as much as He wants me to just be His child. The Bible says He wants that sweet fellowship with me.

I was a Daddy’s girl growing up, and although he’s in Heaven now, I always will be. I always loved it when people said, “You look like your Daddy.” I wanted to look like him and be like him. Much more than that, I want to look and be like my Abba Father.

I want to have such a close, personal relationship with Him every day so that, a little more each day, I’ll look and act like my Heavenly Father. When someone sees me, I want them to get a little glimpse of Him.

Oh, I’m not there yet, I have a long, long way to go. But don’t lose hope… God’s still working on His Favorite Baby Girl!