"special"...

On Saturday, two of my young friends and I went on a little excursion to a local shell shop for a bit of shopping. They each had a certain amount of money to spend and were working hard to buy what they really wanted and still stay within the specified dollar amount. S, the older (at 8 1/2), was doing pretty well on his own--finding treasures, adding up the cost, checking with me for verification of his funds availability (and could he go over just a bit?!)--while I helped B, the younger (at 7), do his treasure hunting and calculating.

We had a great time checking out all the sea treasures and doodads in the store, and it didn't take the boys too long to make their decisions and reach their dollar limits. They were able to get a bit more "bang for their buck," as many of the items were on sale, and most of the baskets from which they pulled their treasures were marked with "SPECIAL!" signs.

When we got out to the car, both of the boys opened their bags and pulled out and unwrapped their purchases to examine them with delight once again. They were very pleased with themselves. S exclaimed about what a great shop that was and how wonderful everything was in it. He said, "These things are so very SPECIAL, aren't they, Sharilyn?!" I agreed with him that they, indeed, were.

Both boys talked excitedly about the store and the awesome things they had seen in it. And then, after remarking about how great were his purchases, S said, "There were so many good things in that store! That's why there were all those signs saying 'special'... because all those things were so special!"

I agreed with him as I held back a chuckle at his misunderstanding of the use of the "special" signs. He was impressed that everything was so very "special" in the shop and didn't realize that "special" meant "on sale" in that context.

This little boy's misinterpretation of the use of a word started my mind to working.... about how differently God sees than we do. People. Circumstances. What we see as failure, God sees as an opportunity for growth and deepening of character. What we see as a broken life, God sees as a chance for something new to be built from the pieces. What we see as a hopeless person, not worth trying to rescue (on sale? not worth much?), God sees as SPECIAL... a treasure.

Hmmm. Out of the mouths of babes... no wonder Jesus said we must be like children! They have a way of seeing things that we miss. They have insight and understanding born of a certain sense of innocence and lack of sophistication. They are generally looking at the world with their eyes wide open and with the wonder and awe of seeing things for the first time. To them, so very much of the world and what it holds is, indeed, SPECIAL...to be delighted in...to be treasured.

I love how God uses everyday situations to remind us of His presence and His character. I love how He uses even the seemingly smallest things to point us to Him and His ways. And, I'm sure I'll never look at a "SPECIAL" sale sign in the same way again.