“I pray that you…grasp…the love of Christ, and know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19

We were sitting on the sidewalk dining ‘en plein air.’ It was a BEAUTIFUL day as Katie and I enjoyed each other’s company. Soon, 2 folks were seated right beside us, and so close I could have almost eaten off THEIR table! There were only 2 of them. But the way the older woman was behaving, they were ALMOST a party of 3!

It was obvious that the women were mother and daughter. It didn’t take long to figure out the sad reality of their lives. The third party at their table was a dog, all dressed up and sitting in a stroller. While mom barked short sentences to her daughter, she kissed all over the dog and talked baby talk to it. At one point she held out a piece of ice for the dog to lick. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut!

The daughter was in her early 20’s and wore rebellion in her demeanor from head to toe! Poorly dressed, tattooed up and grossly over weight, she may have SAT there…but it was obvious she wasn’t there because she WANTED to be. It was easy to see and hear why! The loving attention that SHOULD have gone to the daughter was being audaciously poured out upon her rival… A DOG!

It isn’t hard to see and know that there are a LOT of things wrong with the world. What SHOULD be plain to people, because God MADE it plain to people (Romans 1:9) is that we were created for a unique and special purpose. Our position in the chain of creation was to be the dominant representative of Almighty God in the world. Made by Him…FOR Him. With each one of us being filled with the person and Glory of our creator.

To ascribe human traits to that which is not human can be entertaining. Cartoons and movies do it all the time because it is profitable! But to assign those undeserved traits to an undeserved thing, instead of to another human being, ESPECIALLY those under our care, is not only sin…but idolatrous treason! And God WILL have something to say about it at judgment.

here is NOTHING more special, valuable or deserving of God’s love and Grace than those for whom it was created. To steal a human privilege and present it to an animal or thing SHOULD cause alarms to go off inside our hearts. Which is why God calls us into the blessedness of being FILLED with ALL of HIS fullness, so that we can go about the business of proclaiming that privilege to those for whom it is intended.

My dad used to leave everyone he talked to with the words, “You are Special!” He said it because, whether they knew it or not…they WERE! They are words human beings ALL need to hear…AND GRASP! Do YOU realize how special YOU are to God? He died proving it!