Playing Favorites



The Lord appeared to us saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving kindness.
Jeremiah 31:3

In His perfect love, our Lord has blessed me with a rather unique friend. She’s delightful! She makes me laugh so much and she’s also a huge blessing when the weight of the world is too much. Last year her perspective on a problem saved me a lot of heartache. One thing about her stands out for me. It is the way she expresses herself.

When leaving me a message or signing a card, she refers to herself as my “favorite friend.” Though to her this is done tongue in cheek, I love it!  We’ve been friends for several years, not as long as my one lifelong friend but longer than another woman who swiftly became incredibly dear to my heart. When I think of those three I can see my Peter, John, James group and I am so thankful for each of them.

What really makes the “favorite friend” expression so precious is that I know she’s joking and I know she doesn’t realize how accurate it is. I am the worst at picking favorites. Ask me my favorite movie, book, food, store and I’ll give you a list. My favorite friend? Well, I’ve been friends with Mary forever. She’s my best friend, my favorite. Then there’s Bella. I just love her! She’s my favorite! Then there’s Tara. Oh, sweet Tara! She’s so great! She’s made a huge difference in my life. She’s my favorite! See where I’m going?

God uses the sweetest, simplest things to show His love to us. Bella can call herself my favorite friend with total accuracy. But…so can Mary and Tara. Then of course there’s my precious husband, who while in a different category is still my closest friend.

Do you have children? Do you have a favorite? I do. I have four children and at times four favorites.

With my friends and children sometimes there is a clear front runner and sometimes I would be doing my stammer dance if asked to pick a favorite. Not so with God. We are all God’s children and we are all His favorite. Still in the human walk of Jesus, with the Peter, John, James, angle we are shown that He understands that we have relationships that are closer to us, dearer to us than others. He encourages us to do so. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Favorite. It really is a tough concept for me. To pick one, just one top anything other than color (purple, always and forever, purple) is so incredibly hard for me and yet, Bella is right, she’s my favorite friend and through that connection I can begin to understand how John is the “disciple that Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20) His favorite, but so are you and so am I.

It is nice to know that someone wants to be my favorite and nicer still to know that I am beloved to the One who has only favorites.


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