You’re All My Favorites

“Mom…”

“Mom…”

“Mom…”

My husband calls it “the Mom factor”.  Can our three lovely teen/young adult children start a sentence any other way?  Although, in their defense, sometimes it’s hard to get Mom’s attention.  I am trying to do better.

When they were young, they knew there was one sure fire way, “Mom, will you read to me?”  Who can resist snuggling up on the couch or in bed with a little one to read a story?  There were so many books we enjoyed reading together.  We even had a few I kept tucked away in my nightstand and pulled out only when some (or all) of us were at our wits end including Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and I am Not Going to Get Up Today.  As they grew, we discovered a book called You’re All My Favorites about a bear family with three cubs who were each certain mom and dad could have only one favorite, and he or she wasn’t it.  We even had (okay, have, they are still displayed in our family room with the book) a stuffed animal representing each bear cub (thank you Kohl’s).

As I’m sure you have anticipated, the book concludes with Mommy and Daddy bear explaining that ALL the bear cubs are their favorite.  My kids still joke about being my “favorite child” to which I respond “Yes, you are,” to each of them.  Can this be true outside of a children’s book?  As a parent, I believe it can; as a sibling myself I believe it can; as a daughter I believe it can.  But that isn’t always the case, is it?  We have all seen favoritism play out within families, friend groups, or in the workplace.   But there is one place we will never see it…as a child of God.  God doesn’t choose just one favorite.

Could He really be thinking “You’re all my favorites?”  What about when I am not my best self?  When I am cranky, selfish, too worn out to care?  I’m not even sure I deserve to be a wife or mother some days.  I don’t deserve to be anyone’s favorite.  Certainly not the God of the universe!  That’s when I need to be reminded that God doesn’t love me because of who I am; he loves me because of who he is.

It’s pretty amazing, actually.  God’s invitation tells us “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  As a result of that commitment to accept Christ as our Savior, we stand forgiven before God.  That’s how He sees us.  As ”holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.”  Seriously?  Seriously.  That’s how he sees you.  That’s how he sees me.  How could we not be his favorite?

But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.

-Colossians 1:22 (NCV)

Cindy is a blog contributor and board member at Study With Friends Ministries.  If you enjoyed this blog, you may be interested in our Acts Bible study where this comes up in Part 9. You can also listen to our Bible studies by tuning in to your favorite radio station, listening to our podcast on iTunes, or listening through TuneIn or Stitcher online radio.