You Are Special

One of my favorite authors is Max Lucado, and the first book of his that I read was a children’s book called, “You Are Special”. The story is part of a collection of books centered on a village of wooden people called ‘wemmicks’. They were carved by a woodworker named Eli who lived in a house on a hill overlooking the town he had created. In the story, the wemmicks spent their days handing out stickers; the talented wemmicks received gold stars, and the clumsy wemmicks were given gray dots. No matter how hard one particular wemmick named Punchinello tried, he always fell into the latter category; in fact, he became so covered in gray dots that he would rarely venture outside his house. But one day, he met a wemmick named Lucia who had no stickers; stars and dots alike simply would not stick to her wooden frame. When Punchinello asked her why, her answer was simple; she told him that stickers wouldn’t stay on her because she spent time with Eli the woodcarver each day. The thought of visiting the woodworker was terrifying, but Punchinello’s desperation to be loved and accepted won out over his fear; that night, he slipped out of the town and walked up the path to the house on the hill. He managed to push open the massive door and peek inside, but he started to turn back when he saw all the tools on the woodworker’s bench; then a voice called his name, and Punchinello stopped in his tracks. He had never heard such a deep and strong voice so full of love and tenderness. In the conversation that followed, Punchinello heard for the first time that he was special and that he was not a mistake. As Punchinello chose to believe those words, his stickers began to fall off, because Eli’s opinion was the only one that mattered to him.

Unfortunately, Punchinello isn’t the only one looking for acceptance. Everybody will do almost anything to be loved, but there is only one thing that can truly fill that hole in us; our Creator. I have made more than my share of mistakes trying to fit in and be accepted, and I have found that I am continually disappointed and frustrated when I allow people’s words and actions towards me to determine what I believe; but when I allow God’s Word to be the ground I stand on, I have a firm foundation in His unchanging character and the peace He provides to everybody who places their trust in Him.