Puff Ball Wisdom

As long as we stay focused on Jesus, we know we are treasured.

A couple of days ago, during our morning rush in the office, a little kindergartener came in and tossed a medium sized puff ball on the counter. “This is not my puff ball!” he said angrily.

I took it from him and chuckled to myself wondering why he was so offended by a small fluffy object. It looked almost like one of those puff balls we used to tie on our roller skates when I was growing up.

The little boy went on his way and I placed the puff ball in a drawer where I figured it would remain forevermore. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would come looking for it. What could they possibly do with it?

A little while later, a little girl came into the office and asked me if I had seen a gray and teal puff ball. I was stunned. I could not imagine anyone looking for it. I told her, “yes,” and I pulled it out of the drawer and gave it to her.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. She pulled a part of a key ring out of her pocket and carefully reattached it to a small loop on it, that I hadn’t seen earlier.

“Oh,” I thought, it was a key chain. It did have a use and it was in fact, precious to someone.

I thought about that puff ball over the next few days. I thought about how easily we sometimes tend to dismiss ourselves as useless in the world around us. We feel we’re not smart enough, or funny enough, or clever enough, or talented enough, or maybe strong enough.

We’ve all been that puff ball, thrown to the side by someone who didn’t want us. That someone could have been anything ranging from a boss, to a spouse, to friends or even family. If we’ve been a part of the human race long enough, we have at some point, been rejected by someone who didn’t want us or see our potential.

But, if we walk with Jesus, we know there’s a better way. If we reach out to Him, Jesus picks us up from the spot we have been tossed and lovingly dusts us off. He calls us by name and finds our own little inner loop that the casual observer may not see. He turns us into something useful, into something treasured.

Just like the little girl was thrilled to find her lost puff ball, Jesus is thrilled to find His lost sheep. It doesn’t matter if people have branded us useless or not good enough. Jesus gets the last word. I find that very comforting.

A gray and teal puff ball reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂