Your Picture is on his Fridge

The pictures or magnets on our fridges speak of what is important to us. We stick these things on our fridge doors because we want to be reminded of them as often as we open or walk by our fridges. Magnets usually depict quotes that we find amusing or inspirational. However, to parents, the pictures of their children and their children’s work are of even greater value sentimentally. Every time we see them, our hearts warm with love and joy.

I read a book that said God is like a loving, delighted parent who has our pictures stuck on His fridge. What a heart-warming image, which speaks so much of God’s attitude to us! Just as each child is special in his or her own way to the parents, so each one of us is special to God. There is room in God’s mighty heart (and fridge) for all of us.

This image reflects the truth of Zephaniah 3:17 which tells us that God delights in us. He is proud of our achievements, as untidy as they may look, like a child’s drawing that is of inestimable value to the parent. Parents do not demand perfection, just the heart and the effort of their child give them great pleasure. As a parent, God picks us up in His arms when we are troubled, and He will quiet us with His love. Children are calmed, reassured, and feel secure in their parents’ arms – and so it is with us. We can run to our Daddy and He will cuddle us in His arms and comfort us with His love.

Children lean on the strength of their parents, both physically and emotionally. They know that their parents will fight their battles if necessary, and teach them how to cope, when that is needed too. Parents will advise their children and teach them wisdom. There is a trusting confidence that all will be well, because the parents are in charge, and have the authority and maturity to deal with whatever comes. In the same way, we can trust God to undertake for us and guide us through the maze of life. He has a wider, more objective perspective – just as parents do.

Thus, whenever you feel unworthy or abandoned, remember that you are so precious to God that ‘He has your picture on his fridge’. Remember also that you have many brothers and sisters willing to enter the fray by your side, just as siblings unite against a common enemy to protect each other. Remember too that ‘their pictures are also on God’s fridge’ and treat them as beloved members of your family.