Self-image a little shaky? Need some self-esteem? We all want to feel that we’re loved. But sometimes relationships with family and friends disappoint. Where do we turn? My colleague, writing for the January 27, 2017 edition of the Christian Science Monitor, sites a character in a classic children’s book as a type of universal, unconditional love. She shares a practical example of the present and available non-fiction Love that we can all experience. Here’s Ingrid:
In the classic children’s story “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White, an unlikely friendship develops between a wise barn spider named Charlotte who shares her home with Wilbur, an unassuming pig. Wilbur loves life and is despondent when he learns that it might be cut short only to end up on a farmer’s breakfast plate. But things turn around when he wakes up each day to a new message spun into the web in the rafters above him, such as “some pig,” “humble,” and my personal favorite, “radiant.” The townsfolk are stumped by Charlotte’s work and attribute the phenomenon to divine intervention. Wilbur grows in self-esteem each day and ultimately his life is spared.
We all could use a friend like Charlotte, someone to tell us – and others – how valued we are and why our life is important. Imagine waking up each day to a banner above your head: “You’re amazing!” Those kinds of genuine affirmations of the gold in character often come from a parent, teacher, friend, or even a stranger, and point to the inherent goodness in each one of us.
Above all, though, God – divine Love itself – wants each of us to know just how loved we are. We see evidence of this in the Bible. For instance, God said….
