We all have our favorites. Our favorite vacation. Our favorite fishing spots. Our favorite restaurant. Our favorite meal. Our favorite holiday. Our favorite ride at Disney World. Our favorite friend. Our favorite boss. Our favorite aunts and uncles. Our favorite cousin. Our favorite child. Does God have favorites?
As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. ~ Galatians 2:6
I can’t think of anyone that sits down with a piece of paper, or even a spreadsheet, and figures out what or who’s going to be their favorite. It doesn’t appear at the end of an experiment. It doesn’t just pop up at the end of a long calculation or formula.
Does God Have Favorites?
No, favorites are not from our minds, but from our hearts. We might think that they’re logical, but they’re not. We might be able to give lots of reasons why they are favorites. But at the end of the day, they are choices based on feelings and experiences.
For example, my favorite sandwich of all time is a shrimp salad sandwich on white bread with potato chips and a Pepsi. Now, I really like Italian subs (hoagies.) I like hot roast turkey sandwiches with lots of gravy. I also like hot corned beef on seeded rye with mustard too. The list could go on and on.
So, what makes a shrimp salad sandwich my favorite? Is it because I was born and raised in Baltimore? Is it because I read the recipe in a book? Did I win a contest for making the best shrimp salad sandwich?
It’s because a shrimp salad sandwich was the first meal Mary Ann and I had together as husband and wife. We left our wedding reception and stopped at a local joint for a shrimp salad sandwiches together. We sat across from one another in brand-new clothes, with a brand-new marriage license, and a brand-new life ahead of us. As we nibbled at our sandwiches, we looked into each other’s eyes, and we couldn’t stop smiling.
