APPLE OF GOD'S EYE

I have heard this phrase being mentioned many times in different devotionals but I have never fully understood what this means. It was only recently when certain things happened in my family and Heng's family that I gained a better understanding. I saw what happened when the child was the apple of the parent's eye.

Firstly the parent will always have a good opinion of that child. No matter what he does, the parent will always jump to his defence. The parent sees the heart of that child as good, though his behaviour isn't all together good. This is how God sees us too. He doesn't judge us by our behaviour but He sees us through the lens of Jesus' finished work. He sees our heart and how we are righteous in Christ. Another thing is when that favoured child does a small thing for the parent, the parent will be elated and boast of it like a big thing. Similarly, when we do things for the Lord, though He doesn't expect us to, He will be very pleased. He loves it when we respond to His love. 

Secondly, the parent will want the best for that child. Even though all parents would want the best for all their kids, above all, they seek the wellbeing of that child who is the apple of his eye. The parent will be keenly aware of the nuances in mood or expression of that child and seek to do things to make him happy. The parent will be very happy when good things happen to that child, more so than his other children. God is also like that. He is very interested in our happiness and well-being. He cares about the little things that bother us, not just the big things. And He often seeks to alleviate our suffering and intervenes to cheer us up. 

On the flip side, that child would have the potential to cause the greatest heartache on the parent, as much as his ability to bring joy. I saw how sometimes how the hearts of the parents ached over a wayward child or a child who was worse off than his siblings. The parent would again do all they could to help that child, even at their own expense. They would not consider this as a sacrifice but something they had to do, as if they owed it to the child. God doesn't owe us anything, in fact we are the ones who transgressed against Him first. We owe Him a love debt that we could never repay. 

In conclusion, the child who is the apple of the parent's eye is really in a very favourable position. He is able to tug at the heartstrings of the parent in ways other children couldn't, make the parent accede to his requests. He will always have a special place in the heart of the parent. The parent will always think of his interests above his siblings. Even though the parent tried to be fair to all the kids and love them equally, there will be this particular one who can tug at his heartstrings. The parent may not admit that it is true but such things do happen.

And it seems like there is no particular reason for a parent to be drawn to that particular child. It has nothing to do with the child or his performance but everything to do with the parent. Doesn't this sound like grace? Isn't this how God favours us? In and of ourselves, there really isn't anything lovely or attractive to our Father. Yet He still loves us so dearly. This shows that it is never about us but always about our Father. He is always the one who takes the initiative to draw us to Him.

Pastor Prince said that God loves all His children equally and does not practice favouritism but He likes to hang out with some of His children more than others. They make Him feel comfortable. Their presence pleased the Lord. I don't know about you but I like to think of myself as the apple of His eye as the bible tells me. I am convinced that I am the apple of my Abba's eyes. So are you, beloved! Believe God when He tells you that you are the apple of His eye. And experience His blessings in this most favoured position!