Maybe I’m a bit of a day dreamer, but have you ever pondered God’s creation or character? Like if he was sitting in the chair next to you- what would he say? What questions would you ask him? Would he be most like Prince Charming? Or Superman? Or Mr. Incredible?
If you know me personally, I am a big dork and love numbers, math, spreadsheets, and data. I also love process, order, logistics, and seek to learn new things on a daily basis.
If God was sitting in my living room right now, I would ask him “what’s the deal with all the numbers dude”? Like do you just really like counting? Or order? Is there a giant file cabinet you keep (like in the movie Bruce Almighty)?
If you have studied the Bible at all, you might start to see rather quickly the God seems to like numbers and counting.
Take for example the way the Bible is written and organized. For people unfamiliar, the Bible is broken down into books, then chapters, then versus. This makes it incredibly easy for anyone to quote, share, or memorize a specific passage or verse. For example, one of my favorite versus is from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 11, verse 25: A generous person will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. To simplify, the verse is found in Proverbs 11:15. (Take that Dewey Decimal system! Ha!)
God also devoted a book in the Bible called…. Numbers. Yep, there is a book called “Numbers” in the Bible. Now if you like math, don’t get too excited here. This book is named after the census taking place, counting all the people in the land before they marched to the promised land. People often fall short of God's plan in this book, but it teaches us that God’s plans stay on track even when his people don’t.
God also likes to share stories about counting in the Bible. There is a story in Luke 15:4-7 about a man who has 100 sheep. He then looses one. Now a normal person might not go chase after the lost one. Ninety-nine sheep is still a lot of sheep and odds are they can reproduce eventually, right?
But no! The man leaves the 99 to find the lost sheep. He then brings the lost sheep back to the others and rejoices with his friends and neighbors. This story teaches us about God's character, that he chases after the lost sheep (aka people) and that heaven and earth should rejoice when they are found. They are never forgotten and God pursues them until they are home.
Another story about counting in the Bible - this one is about the hairs on your head. Did you know they are numbered? “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:26–31). This passage reminds us that God cares for us deeply and that he designed and knows us quite intimately. But now I’m wondering- how many hairs are actually on my head? Maybe in heaven I'll learn? For the record, Google says over one million.
If I could truly ask him my question about numbers face to face, I think God would tell me that he counts the things he loves. He loves all the people he created- the men, the women, the children, the saved, the lost, the leaders, the artists, the teachers, the scientists, the healers, and yes, even the dorky people like me!
When people ask you “tell me about your family” and you have four children… Do you say “Oh I have a few kids”? No! You say "I have four kids". And why is that? Because you too count the things you love.
At the end of it the day- you matter! You matter to me, you matter to your friends, you matter to your family, and you definitely matter to God.
Why? Because God says so! You were designed on purpose. You were created so intricately with care and placed on this large rock called Earth for many reasons. Likely to make a difference, to share the love and hope given to you with the world in only the ways you can.
So let’s stop worrying so much about who we are and focus more on whose we are. Because when we start doing that, the Bible, the truth, and God’s calling on your life truly start to shine.
“Beautiful people, don't you know you're made in his image
The image of greatness
Why don't we see His reflection inside one another
In all of our faces
I bet you just want to let your light shine
It feel like you been waiting for the right time
This is your moment, moment, moment, moment
This is your moment, moment, moment
It's time to change the world”