Mini-Thought: “And Remember, Kids…”
My nieces and nephews have been watching an animated cartoon series called VeggieTales.
Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s a series that answers one of the more pressing questions of our time, namely: “What would the Bible stories we know and love look like if the main characters were all vegetables?” I enjoy watching the shows too, partly for the tongue-in-cheek humor (in one episode, Gideon receives a Bible and remarks, “Thanks! I know right where I’ll keep it…in the nightstand, right by my bed!”). I’ve also come to appreciate the way the episodes end. At the conclusion of every segment, the listeners are reminded, “And remember kids, God made you special, and He loves you very much.”
It’s not especially profound. If we’re being honest, it’s more clichéd than anything—two simple statements that don’t come as much of a surprise to anyone in the Church of God.
But sometimes the simplest things are the most important things. We can get so wrapped up in a search for depth or insight that we can completely forget about some of the most basic truths of God’s plan—because you know what? God did make you special. And He does love you very much. I don’t have anything earth-shaking to say about either of those points, and they’re almost certainly sentiments you’ve heard before—but they’re still both so, so important. As we “go on to perfection” (Hebrews 6:1), we have to make sure that we don’t lose sight of some of the more foundational things.
God made you special because He has a plan and a purpose for you. He’s prepared for you a future and a hope that are so far beyond anything we can really truly comprehend—and because He loves you so much more than you could possibly fathom, He sent His Son to die in your place so that you could co-inherit that future and that hope.
And that’s just incredible.
Until next time,
Jeremy
