Favorite Things

I was asked the other day about some of my favorite things and I didn't have an answer for any of them. I realized that I don't have a favorite drink, or dessert, or food, or movie. I have many favorite things, places, experiences and I'm sure you do to.

When I was a kid it wasn't unusual for my parents to ask me to sing something or to show a new step I'd learned in dance class. It was one of their favorite things, even though I rarely complied. Instead I would usually sheepishly say, "No thank you!" Today I wish I had sang and danced more for them when they asked.

As you probably know already I love to travel and my favorite destination is the Holy Land for obvious reasons. I've shared many stories and places and pictures of the things that touch my heart. One of them is Qumran, the Jewish monastic community (Essenes) who created what we call the Dead Sea Scrolls.
This is Dave Ritchie and me after leaving our group and climbing into the mountains. Behind us is the Dead Sea, the cave where the first scroll was discovered and if you look carefully, our group (that look like tiny ants along the ridge). It's hard to tell why this is one of my favorite places, maybe because I've had some opportunity to explore it and it beckons me back to it. I want to scale the cliffs, go into it's caves, see what I might be able to discover.

Favorite things, places, people, beckon us because to experience them is to affect us somehow. They touch our heart in a way that may be indescribable, but it feels good so it becomes a favorite. You know what it's like to see your favorite team play their sport, to visit with your favorite person, to taste your favorite ice cream, to watch your favorite show. You can almost not even think about them without a smile. Just thinking about it affects us.

God's the same way.

God has favorites just like we do, even favorite people throughout the biblical story. (It may not seem fair, but it's true. There are some who just simply get God's attention for their life, their faith, their humility, their devotion, like David, Job, Moses, etc.) The scripture even reveals some of God's favorites. (...as well as the things God hates!) But one of God's favorites might surprise you.

You'd think that a fully devoted life would please God the most and while I agree that's God's goal for all of us, it's rare to find that. Rather one of God's favorite things is actually very simple...

...it's when someone calls out for help. That's right, God loves it when we find ourselves dependent, in need, even desperate. It's where God wants us to be, how God wants to relate to us. It's God's nature to be merciful, generous, gracious, so it makes perfect sense that when we are dependent on God, God gets to act in His favorite ways.

“Your salvation requires you to turn back to me
and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down
in complete dependence on me—
The very thing you’ve been unwilling to do. (Isaiah 30:15, Msg)

Want to please God? A song and a dance might make Him smile, but to really please Him act today in a way that is one of God's favorites...

...cry out for help!

Peace ><>
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