1 Thessalonians 1:4
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you…
Early this morning, when she should have been asleep, Sydney was lying in her bed, eyes open, smiling. Of course, there’s no way I could leave that alone and so I went in, sat on her bed, and started rubbing her head. 
While I’m running my fingers through her hair, she’s petting the top of her newest stuffed animal, a white puppy that her cousin won for her at the SC State fair last week-end. She actually had been given a brown one, but changed her mind and asked the man at the game if she could have the white one instead. Like a man who had been around females for any length of time, he wisely said yes and switched them. Anyway, back to this morning.
Sydney thought it was funny that I was rubbing her on the head and she was rubbing “light puppy” (that’s actually the name) on the head at the same time. Her eyes got big as she smiled, and then she looked up at me and said, “I’m glad I picked this one.”
In one of those rare moments when the physical world peels back and we get to glimpse into the spiritual framework behind it, I saw clearly how God feels about each one of His children. We are His chosen people. It was an intentional decision on His part. He didn’t get me, or you, or any other believer, by default because the other team didn’t want us. He chose us and fought for us because He wanted us.
That makes me feel good, kind of how that puppy would have felt if it was, well, a real puppy and puppies could have feelings like humans. But you get my point. The challenge, of course, is seeing others as someone God picked, too, and admittedly, this is the hardest part of the deal.
There are lots of Christians that rub us the wrong way, or that we rub the wrong way. That’s how it is in a family (you’ve had some knockdowns with your family before, too, huh?). But the important thing to remember is that, if we’ve determined to follow Jesus Christ, we’re still family, and our Father picked each of us, even the red-headed stepchild.
That’s good news, even if it’s hard news at times, too. We are loved by God, and we need to remember that He chose us. I’m glad He picked me…
…and you.
