Lessons from "You Are Special"

Tonight I'm reminded of the book "You Are Special" by Max Lucado. It's a book about only relying on God to give our lives purpose, instead of allowing others to define us. When we hope that others will give us encouragement, praise, or accolades, it's like looking for them to put gold star stickers on us. But if we mess up, or be dumb or insecure, and others put us down or show distain for us, it's like they're placing gray dot stickers on us. Or sometimes, it's even a backhanded sticker (ie, someone praises themself (gold star), inadvertently flinging a gray dot (insecurity) our way). This story is one that I've read to my little Paigey about once a week for the past 3 years and all of a sudden, God made it completely clear that it's not just a good concept to know about, but it's something that He wants me to specifically apply to my life. It's a concept we all could benefit from by applying it to our lives.
I know many of us are not even aware that we do this "dot flinging" or "star sticking" on a daily basis. That's usually because we conveniently justify our actions by thinking we are just "being honest." Well, I've come to the realization that, without tact and graciousness, honesty is often highly abused. The other side of the spectrum is the people who allow those stars and dots to stick to them. I know firsthand, that we don't even realize that we're allowing them to define us. All we know is that something doesn't feel "right." I believe this is because we don't really know what it's like to be loved by God. When God loves us and we actually trust that His love is worth more than anything imaginable, nobody, I mean, NOBODY will be allowed to define us. And this is not just rebellion. It's confidence.
This is so comforting to me. I mean, it's so simple! Just believing that the Creator of the universe loves me despite my stars and dots, fills me with a peace and a comfort that can never be taken away.
So now, it's like I can't even have a normal conversation with anyone without being aware of gold stars and gray dots flinging everywhere. I have to continually be on my guard to dodge those stickers and realize that they don't make life any better or worse. It's all about the Creator and what He thinks of us. This story was only words on a page until God opened my eyes to the fact that this concept happens every single day in almost every relationship we encounter and He wants us to know the truth of His love for us. As long as we're pleasing Him, the stickers don't have to stick. (If you're completely lost in translation, go read the book. It's a good one to read to your children, too :)