Thought for the Week

   April 5, 2025

When my children were young, they loved to visit the zoo.  We would follow the zoo map to make sure we had a chance to see all the animals that were out that day.  First, we would check the northwest coast and watch the harper seals and otters play.  Then we would wander to the Elephant Lands to admire the massive elephants. Next, we would explore the African Savannah admiring the giraffes, the gazelles, and impalas.  We would hold our breath as we explored the bat cave and then move on to see the hippos which were usually submerged in their water hole.

We always spent several minutes in the Aviary, quietly looking at the birds in the foliage, being careful not to frighten them.  Using the pictures provided, we tried to identify each bird we saw.  Afterwards we would go to the petting zoo and play with the baby goats.

On one particular occasion, the zoo was alive with young life.  In the Elephant Lands, we saw a baby elephant and in the African Savannah we saw baby giraffes and gazelles. When we got to the Primate Forest, we saw several monkeys playing.  Among them was a very small, young monkey.  As we gathered at the window to get a closer look at the baby monkey, the mother monkey hurried to her baby and scooped it up into her arms.  But instead of running away, the mother monkey ran up to us and proudly held her baby out for us to see.   It was as if she was saying, “Look at my baby!  I love my baby! My baby is special!” Seeing that proud, mother monkey show off her baby to us was the highlight of our day.

If a monkey can be that pleased about her baby, how much more is God our Father, crazy about each one of us! So often we listen to messages others have told us that devalue our worth.  Maybe we even repeat these to ourselves.  But God delights in us.  He scoops us up in His arms and says, “Look, you are my child.  I love you!  You are special to me!

“Look at the remarkable love the Father has given us—that we should be called God’s children! That indeed is what we are.” I John 3:1 NTFE

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17

 This week, tune out life’s negativity, and focus on God’s amazing love for you.

--Tracy Weakly