And God Said, “Ta-da!”
When my granddaughter was little, she loved wearing princess dresses. Right from the start, she was introduced to princess-dom because her room and crib were all arrayed in princess décor. Even at our home, we had a frilly, girly room with all kinds of reminders of how special she was to us. After all, she was our only granddaughter, amongst five boys. So Alexia knew, right from the start, that she was special. Even today, we continue to remind her how beautiful, precious and special she is.
I thought about all that when I read an article by one of my favorite authors, Liz Curtis Higgs. The article was entitled “And God Said, “Ta da!”
I love that. God made the earth. God made the stars, the moon, the oceans, the dry ground. He made man and woman. And the scripture that followed was “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). In essence, God said, “Ta da!” It’s like the dramatic entrance of royalty into the court when a servant announces “I present to you…..” God made the announcement “What I made is very good! Ta da! And THAT includes YOU!”
My post today is to remind all my friends that God says “Ta-da! I present (add your name here) and I call her/him very good!” Maybe you’re not feeling so “ta da-ish” today, but maybe you should. Psalm 149:4 says “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people.” You bring Him pleasure. Maybe you don’t feel so beautiful, but maybe you need to be looking at YOU through your Father’s eyes. He doesn’t simply accept you, forgive you or put up with you. He delights in you. Think about this “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5
My grandson will be marrying his precious fiancé on October 1st. I can hardly wait to see the look in his eyes when she comes down the aisle. It will, no doubt be a “Ta-da!” moment. You better believe that he’ll be rejoicing over his bride…….but nothing can compare to the rejoicing that God has over us.
When God looks at you and me, He doesn’t evaluate us based on our family history, or how cute and spunky we are, or how popular we are. He doesn’t consider our education, our resume OR even our bank balance. What may impress others, doesn’t impress God. None of that changes how He values us. In fact, whether we behave well, or not, His love for us is unconditional. He doesn’t love us because we’re wealthy or smart or good. He loves us because we’re HIS! “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called Children of God” 1 John 3:1
I started this post out talking about my granddaughter and how she has grown up knowing how precious and special she is to us. Let me give YOU some good news. God says “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL and precious and special – not just slightly attractive, but BEAUTIFUL. My mom used to say “Pretty is as pretty does.” I remember those words and they are true, but whether we are on our best behavior or not, God sees us BEAUTIFUL, because we look JUST LIKE OUR DAD. “God (Dad) created mankind in His own image.” Genesis 1:27. And that includes you AND me.
God doesn’t compare us to others. We are a unique work of His creation. And we are His definition of BEAUTIFUL. Isn’t it time we see ourselves as God sees us?
Maybe it’s time for us to stand in front of the mirror (this exercise may work better with clothes on – LOL!) and say it like we mean it…..”Ta-da!” And the ultimate “Ta-da” comes when we know that we know that our Father is holding his outstretched arms and announcing His daughter or son with the greatest pride and joy any Father could have “I see what I have made, and she/he is VERY GOOD!”