Wednesday, March 25, 2020

So Special

One of my sisters just wrote a blog about the difficulties inherent in hearing compliments.  And it made me think of a song I wrote quite some time ago, as I was struggling with one of the ingrained messages from my childhood, "What makes you think you're so special?"  The implied message was "You're not special, don't think too highly of yourself."  I understand why my mother wanted us to absorb this kind of humility, but I don't think it's the right tack.

Because we are special, each and every one of us.  Yes, "special snowflakes", one in a million, all special in our own tiny way, but individually created by a Heavenly Father who has a unique purpose and destiny for each one of us.  The Bible says of Christians  that we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:10, NIV).

It's difficult for me to sing the first verse of this song.  It's so deeply ingrained to say that I am nothing special.  How dare I boast and proclaim that I am special?  It's just not done.

But the more I have considered this, the more I felt that I wanted my own children to understand that they ARE special, without losing sight of the fact that everyone else is special too.  And I want my own heart to be aware of that too, because ultimately I think that this is the message that God has given us in the Bible.

So Special

So special, I am so special, I am precious in the eyes of God.
So special, I am so special, I am precious in the eyes of God.

All of creation is waiting to see
The praise and the wonder that I'm going to be.
I was created by the Father above
To stand in his presence
And pour out his love.

So special, you are so special, you are precious in the eyes of God.
So special, you are so special, you are precious in the eyes of God.

All of creation is waiting to see
The gift and the glory that you're going to be.
A world that is hurting needs us to go share
The love of the Father
With people out there.

So special, they are so special, they are precious in the eyes of God.
So special, they are so special, they are precious in the eyes of God.

For Such a Time as This

A friend posted this verse on Facebook, and I thought that the time had come to share this song through the blog.

When Esther became Queen, and then the Jews were in great danger from the plots of Haman, she was initially afraid to risk her life in order to speak out, and her uncle Mordecai challenged her that, "if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14 NIV).  In the end, after much prayer, Esther used her position to great effect.

Esther was a queen, but all of us have been placed by God to be able to accomplish good things.  "We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, for good works which he has prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). So this song came to me.

In this time of social distancing and coronavirus, we may not want to be literally touching people, but it is definitely a time for reaching out in many other ways.  What is God calling you to do "in such a time as this"?

For Such a Time as This

For such a time as this I have called you
For such a time as this you were born
For such a time as this I have given you my spirit
For such a time as this.

There are people that I love who've never met me.
There are people that I love who've never heard.
There are people who are hungry for a smile or for a touch
There are people who are desperate for a word.

For such a time as this I have made you
For such a time as this you were formed
For such a time as this I have brought you through the fire
For such a time as this.

For such a time as this I have called you
For such a time as this you were born
For such a time as this I have given you my spirit
For such a time as this.