God's Shelf

A man was worshipping in church one morning when suddenly he was carried away. The surrounding music and atmosphere faded imperceptibly into the background of his mind as he was swept along a long hallway, following a man robed in white before him leading the way. Not so much from the way he looked as the way he carried himself, the man could identify that this was his Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Son of Man was beckoning to him now, eager to reach the end of the hall where a well populated knick knack shelf hung, full of many figurines. it seemed to stretch on for as far as the man could see. Once they reached the shelf, Christ began taking down each figurine, presenting it to him with immense joy and pride. There was a small woman, dressed very obviously as Mother Theresa, her blue and white habit settled about her wiry frame and an eternal look of peace upon her wrinkled little face. A tall, thin man had to have been the representation of one Billy Graham, poised mid-sermon, his shock of wild hair belying his passion for the Lord. There were many more as Christ shared with the man, putting them back in their places carefully but not before he had turned each over to reveal an inscription he lovingly stroked. From where the man stood, it looked like each inscription was the same, though he couldn't quite make it out.

Walking the length of the shelf the man came upon a misshapen glob of clay. He couldn't tell but it seemed that the work had been abandoned, left unfinished in the dimly lit hallway and it had begun to take on an unpleasant odor. While the other figurines had glistened and shone in the darkness of the hallway, this one was dull and lifeless and not at all a work that the man wanted to reach out and touch - in fact, he was repulsed by it. Before he could walk away, however, Jesus put his hand upon the figurine and lifted it just as gently as he'd done with all of the other works he was so proud of. In disbelief, the man watched as Jesus caressed the nasty, odorous glob of unfired clay. His expression was one of absolute adoration, as if only Christ could see the beauty within this vessel.

It was then that the man realized with a sudden clarity that the misshapen, ugly, unfinished work the Lord held so tenderly in his palm was indeed a representation of himself. HE was the unfinished work, reeking of his own sin and willfulness, his pride and his hardened heart. Yet Jesus didn't shy away as he found himself doing. He caressed and looked lovingly upon it, as if it too was as pristine and beautiful as the others they had marveled upon together. Christ reached forward with the figurine's bottom held forth, the inscription clearly readable now. "Cost me everything," was delicately scratched into the surface like a potter's mark. As the man began to weep, Christ placed the unfinished figurine back in its place on the shelf among many other recognizable saints.

In a moments time the man returned from his vision to the worship service, still engaged and yet fully consumed by what he'd just seen. The revelation rang a clear message to his heart: It didn't matter what he had done or what contributions he'd made, Christ saw him as an invaluable part of the family of God. No one person was more valuable than the next, no matter what their lives had produced, how famous they were or how pious they seemed.

You are just as valuable as the man in the story. I know that is terribly hard to believe, but God sees you, not with the eyes of man, but with the eyes of a doting Father. I know, I know, "But you have no idea what I've done!" I don't have to. God knows everything about all of us, and if he can still love me, I know he will love you too.

Each of us has a special place on God's shelf and we must remember that comparing ourselves to other members of the Body is not productive or admirable. We each have talents and works of our own that no one else can complete for us. Remember, when you are tempted to compare yourself to others or even when you are tempted to look upon someone else as unworthy of God's love and grace that Christ looks with unfathomable, unconditional love and tenderness upon you and wants you to do the same for yourself and others. We are all a vital part of his family and we all have value, whether we see it or not. And really, what we see doesn't matter - Only that He sees us and loves us in spite of it. Thank Christ today for loving you no matter what you fall into. I know I will...

(Story related with permission.)