Cupcake Earrings

I had a very cool dad moment yesterday. This past year, my oldest daughter wanted me to take her, on her birthday, to get her ears pierced. Yesterday, while at the play area of the mall, we realized she had lost one of the earrings we originally had bought for her. So, I rushed down to the store and bought her a new pair of earrings.

I brought back gem-packed, sparkly, cupcake earrings. I knew she’d love them – the gems, the colors, and the cupcake shape…I hit all of her favorites. Now, I had to buy the more expensive ones. Not because she is some diva-in-the-making, but because she needed the better quality ones, the right type of medal, to help from infection, etc. And, she needed something right away, or that piercing could possibly close up.

I brought back these little gems…

She hugged and thanked me. She was so happy.

Then it happened. Then, that cool dad moment happened…

I watched her go around to all of her “friends” in the play area, pointing out her new earrings, and telling others – even those young boys who could care less – telling everyone: “look at my beautiful new cupcake earrings, with gems, that my daddy bought – my daddy loves me.”

After she did this to about 4 or 5 other kids, our eyes met and the smile on my face must have been as big as the sun because she came over and asked: “why are you so happy daddy?” I told her, that her joy is contagious and it makes me happy to see how she wants everyone around her to know her joy. We hugged for a few moments and she ran off to play again.

As I was reflecting on that great moment I had with my daughter, the Holy Spirit impressed this verse on my heart: “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19:5)

In a day and age when everyone fights to be an individual, to make a way for themselves, to be their own person – we forget the tremendous value we have in knowing that we belong to God, and that He delights in us.

In our longing to be an individual and unique, we’ve rejected our true identity in Christ. 

No wonder so many today suffer from feelings of rejection, self- hatred, insecurity, great fear, being a people-pleaser, loneliness, and various unfulfilled cravings for approval, etc. No wonder so many people have lost sight of who they are in Christ: His beloved, a treasured and highly possession, one that can declare His goodness to all those they encounter.

When we are consumed with doubt, hurt, or selfishness, we cannot clearly reflect our belonging to God. We reflect then, that we belong to that doubt, or fear, or hurt – rather than our Redeemer and Restorer.

Many of us need an intervention from the Lord. What we need is for the Lord to breakthrough our wish-washy “feelings” and birth in us a hope and peace that only He can provide. But are we actually wanting this type of experience with God? Are we willing to let go of our desires to be known for what we can do and to be known for who we truly are in Christ alone? 

We have tremendous value, not because of what we can do, but because of who we are. We seek to add value to our lives through the things we do. And although experiences in life add much to our lives, they do not make us greater – our life richer perhaps, but they do make us more valuable.

My daughter has no idea the quality, nor the cost – the value – of those cupcake earrings. What she does know is that her daddy hand picked them for her, and they were the best, not because of the quality of medal, or the cost, but because I gave them to her. The value of those earrings to her, that produced great joy – joy that she shared with everyone – the value came from me giving them to her, something that demonstrated my heart to provide for her and her needs.

Run to your Heavenly Father today. Allow Him to speak to the deepest needs in your life. Do not let any other relationship, a promotion, success in the gym, or any other accolades in life to fill you with true value. That is fake value, temporary stuff that fuels that emotional tug-of-war in your mind and heart – and it is only temporary.

We have tremendous value, apart from what we can do on our own, in our own strength. We have value because of who we are in Christ and what He has done, and given, and poured into our lives.

So for those suffering from feelings of rejection, self- hatred, insecurity, fear, people-pleasing tendencies, loneliness and unfulfilled cravings for approval – run to your Heavenly Father. Feast on His Holy Word for your life. Let Him define for you, your value. Let Him replace your sorrow with His Hope. Let Him take away your pain and put on you His peace. Let Him provide for your needs by trusting in His provision and timing.

Run to your Heavenly Father. Abide in Him. Trust in Him. Obey Him. Deuteronomy 26:17-29 says: “You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.”

God has spoken. Let your Heavenly Father fill your mind and heart with the truth of who you are. Let Him remind you of who you really are and how He will address every feeling, every concern and every problem in your life, according to His Holy and Divine will. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

That moment I shared with my daughter and those cupcake earrings, it made me feeling like a million bucks. God, He is a victorious warrior and the greatest hero of all – and He, as we seek and obey Him in all things, will rejoice over us and fill us with a joy that we won’t be able to contain. And what God longs to do in your life, it will be greater than a pair of cupcake earrings. Run to Him, let Him fill you with His presence, with His truth, with His will for your life.