You Matter and You Are Loved!

You see all those leaves following from the trees? I’m here in Tulsa and the Oklahoma winds are blowing through with gusto which means the leaves must give way to the pull. Perhaps you see yourself as just another leaf on one of those trees that has seen its best days and is falling, falling, falling to the earth -- no longer feeling like you matter. Or maybe you feel like a snowflake in Colorado and you feel like no one really cares or notices you. You think that you really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. We’re entering into the most wonderful time of the year – well, for some of us, that is. Others may be already dreading the holidays because it means you are alone and you just can’t help but feel discouraged and forgotten. I’ve said it before and it’s worthy of a repeat. You DO matter.

Our greatest example of One Who gave His all to show how much we matter is Jesus Christ. Here are just a few of His “You Matter” projects: The beggar -- blind Bartimaeus. He mattered enough for Jesus to stop and heal him. (Mark 10:46-52) The woman caught in the act of adultery and her accusers were about to stone her, but Jesus displayed she mattered when He said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1-11). How about Jairus’ child who was sick and died? Death could not stop Jesus from healing her because Jairus and the little girl mattered. (Mark 5:21-43) Peter denied even knowing Jesus, but the greatest display of love, forgiveness and that he mattered was when Jesus said to him, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) Jesus’ ultimate act of showing us we matter, is when He laid down His life for you and me. The underlying fact is…..WE MATTER!

The most important thing we can do for others is to help them know they matter. Why does it matter? Because it matters to our Creator. He specifically planned each of us individually and uniquely with the funny little quirky smile we might have, the color of our hair and eyes, or the freckles on our nose. We are so special that His eyes are on us ALL the time. He knows everything about us. We're His hand-designed treasures and He even thinks about us ALL THE TIME....so shouldn't we think about others in a way that God uses our arms to hug them and our mouths to tell them how special and beautiful they are? After all, they're our sisters and our brothers in this royal family of God. I can't explain it in mere words, but God sure can! Just take a look at how He masterfully and lovingly planned us and created us! We are ALL so special to Him. I hope these words by the Psalmist convince you of that!

Psalm 139:1-5; 13-18 "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away, you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!"

Capital letters here to shout out loud and clear – YOU ARE LOVED and YOU MATTER!

Earth to Heaven -- Heaven to Earth

Yesterday, I posted about my Sweetheart's debut into heaven on the 16th of November, 2010. But today, November 17th, it’s all about heaven-on-earth!! My sweet Bryson James Wuerch made his debut into earth 10 years ago today and what a blessing and special joy that boy is to us! He’s the youngest – number 6 in the chain of our grandchildren. God put “icing on the cake” when he came along.
He lights up the room when he walks in. He's hilarious -- without trying, and best of all for this Nana – he’s still my lovey, cuddly boy and I'll hang onto that as long as I can. He's a unique, one-of-a-kind ORIGINAL!

I’m so happy I’m here in Austin today for the big celebration that starts this morning at breakfast and when he gets in from school, we’ll have our annual birthday treasure hunt where he'll get clues I’ve made up for the special treasure he’ll eventually find. It only happens once a year and for years that's how I've rolled. Honestly, it's not the treasure or the gift that my grandchildren remember. It is the feeling of excitement that Nana stirs up. I make every effort to fill my grandchildren's love tanks. It takes a lot of energy to undertake such audacious activities, but it's so worth it. In the grand scheme of things, they'll remember how much they are extremely loved and how special they are to me.

While I'm celebrating my sweet boy's birthday today, I'm thinking about the most important thing we can do for others is to celebrate them and help them to know THEY MATTER. Why does it matter? Because it matters to our Creator. He specifically planned each of us individually and uniquely with the funny little quirky smile we might have, the color of our hair and eyes, the freckles on our nose. We are so special that His eyes are on us ALL the time. He knows everything about us. We're His special treasures......and He thinks about us ALL THE TIME....so shouldn't we think about others in a way that God uses our arms to hug them, our mouths to tell them how special and beautiful they are. After all, they're our sisters and our brothers in this royal family of God. I can't explain it in mere words, but God sure can! Just take a look at how He masterfully and lovingly planned us and created us! We are ALL so special to Him. I hope these words convince you of that!

Psalm 139:1-5; 13-18 "O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away, you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!"