You Are Mine

A few days ago you were sitting with your friends and family around a stack of gifts waiting for someone to read your name and hand a brightly wrapped package to you. As you tore through the paper to see what was inside, perhaps you were thinking, “I hope this is something I want to keep.” If it was something that you really wanted or needed—and something that you now hoped you could use for a long time; your next thought may have been, “How can I make sure other people know it is mine?”

Some gifts may already be marked with your name or initials. They may be stitched through, engraved in, or written on. You may belong to a family where everyone has their own color; so even if everyone in the family got the same item, you know which one is yours because it’s your color.

If it’s not already marked, then you may just pull out a permanent marker and write your name on it. You may scratch your initials in some inconspicuous place. Some folks put their most cherished gifts in a case made especially for them. I make a practice of pulling the label off the package and sticking inside the gift so there is no question that it is mine.

Campers write their names in their clothes. Workers write their names on their tools. Travelers write their names on their luggage. Students write their names in their books. When you value the things you have, you find a way to make sure the world knows they are yours.

God sent Jesus into the world to let you know that he loves and values you. Consider these ways God reveals this love across the ages: “The Lord your God chose you to be his own treasured people” (Deuteronomy 7:6). “The Lord treasures the people who honor him, the people who wait for his faithful love” (Psalm 147:11). “You are precious in my eyes, you are honored, and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4).

When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan, “A voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him’” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize new believers so they would know whose they are; and, that God finds happiness in them, delights in them,  cherishes them, values them, treasures them, loves them, too.

Remember your baptism and be thankful!