Day 35: the Apple of God’s Eye

“As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.” John 15:9

One of my favorite living authors is a lovely, humble pastor named Max Lucado. I’ve had the joy of getting to know Max, his wife Denalyn, and their three daughters a bit over the past twenty years, but prior to the undeserved privilege of meeting them personally, a friend shared something she observed about Max while at a party in their home that I will never forget. He was deep in conversation with several publishing executives and industry leaders when their daughter Jenna—who was probably six or seven at the time—began to play a song she’d just learned on the piano to entertain a few guests in the adjacent room. My friend said Max graciously excused himself from conversing with those notable executives, walked over to the room where his little girl was playing that basic tune, leaned against the wall and watched her with a big, proud smile stretched across his face. Surely her father’s simple, yet intentionally preferential gesture made Jenna feel like the most important person in the room.

Henri Nouwen is another one of my favorite authors, and in his classic book The Wounded Healer he makes an exquisitely poignant observation that reminds me of that precious moment Max shared with his daughter:

Everyone who returns from a long and difficult journey is looking for someone waiting for him at the station or airport. Everyone wants to tell his story and share his moments of pain and exhilaration with someone who stayed home, waiting for him to come back.9

In other words, we all ache for someone who loves us enough to listen to our whole story regardless of how demanding the rest of their day was. Someone who will wait for us to return home, regardless of where we journeyed off to. Someone who will always make us feel like the most important person in the room, regardless of who else is there. Fortunately, the Bible makes it clear that’s exactly who Jesus is . . . the King of all kings is also the One leaning against a wall, gazing at us with tender affection while we play “Chopsticks.”

• Do you feel confident enough in God’s love for you to keep playing your version of “Chopsticks” if you could see Him watching you? Or do you think you’d freeze up with insecurity and cower in fear?
• Do you often forget God’s smiling demeanor toward you? Why?
• What’s one God-given hobby or interest you have that, if you pursued it a little more, could bring God great delight?