Do You Wear Gray Dots, Gold Stars or Neither?

“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part, You will make me know wisdom.”  Psalm 51:6

Have you ever read the children’s picture book, You are Special, by Max Lucado? The story takes place in a village of wooden people called, Wemmicks. Even though each Wemmick was made by the same woodworker, Eli, the wooden people lived in perpetual judgment of one another. Wemmicks with smooth wood and fine paint were given gold star stickers from each other as a symbol of acceptance. However, Wemmicks with chipped paint or rough wood received gray dot stickers as a symbol of unacceptability.

Punchinello, the main character in the story was blanketed with gray dot stickers. One day, Punchinello noticed a girl who had neither gray dot stickers nor gold star stickers. He asked her how it was possible that she had no stickers. Lucia explained that it was not that the Wemmicks didn’t try to give her stickers, it’s just that the stickers wouldn’t stick. She seemed to indicate that a daily visit to Eli’s carpenter shop had helped her. So, Lucia encouraged Punchinello to walk up the hill to Eli’s workshop and visit with Him.

Punchinello struggled to gain the courage to visit Eli’s workshop, because he feared that Eli might not want to see him with so many gray dot stickers. As he entered the workshop, Punchinello heard a deep and strong voice call his name,

“Punchinello? How good to see you. Come and let me have a look at you.”

Punchinello couldn’t believe that Eli knew his name.

And, Eli’s response was,  “Of course I know your name, I made you.”

A beautiful exchange took place between Eli and Punchinello where Eli expressed just how special Punchinello was to him. Eli taught Punchinello that other Wemmicks’ opinions of him were not important. Now, Punchinello understood why the Wemmick’s stickers would not stick to Lucia, because she believed that her sole value came from the one who made her. Punchinello started to believe the truth that Eli valued him, too, because as he turned to leave the carpenter’s shop, one of the gray dot stickers from his arm fell to the ground.

“Inward Part” and “Hidden Part” referenced in Psalm 51 can be translated as the heart of a person. The heart is often hidden from sight, it’s that place where our minds, our wills, and our emotions are seated. When David wrote that God desires His truth in our hearts, the word, “desires” actually means delights. See, God actually delights as His truth takes its rightful place in our minds, our wills, and in our emotions.  Recently, as I thought about the fact that God takes great pleasure in my choice to believe what He says about me, I was strengthened to believe His truth even more deeply. Just like Punchinello, I see Jesus seated at His heavenly workbench actually smiling and taking great joy as I choose to believe His truth about who He is and what He says about me. Also, I am aware of His delight in seeing the lies I have believed about Him and myself fall to the ground, much like the gray dot sticker fell from Punchinello’s arm.

My prayer for you is that you, too would be strengthened to believe more deeply that you are greatly valued by Him. And, as you believe a little more of what your Maker says about you, that you, too would experience freedom from lies you have believed and a greater sense of His delight in you. As a result, I pray that you would be open to the opportunities He provides to share your joy with others, as Lucia did.