Norman Bridwell wrote a dog story. It was not an ordinary story but one about a giant red dog. The name of the book is Clifford, the Big Red Dog.

It’s a story for children, but this bedtime storybook affects people as they grow into adulthood. Bridwell gets fan mail and tries to answer each letter. One even pushed him to dedicate one of his books to a child whom he never met.

What would motivate such an action? Bridwell explained:

“He struck me as being very special. His mother later wrote and told me that the dedication made him feel like a star.”

Everyone needs to feel like a star. Lost in a world of nameless faces, we want someone to notice, care, and love.

That’s what God does for us. He puts every human being in the spotlight.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

While it is true that Jesus died for the world, it’s much more intimate than that. He died for you, to take away your sins, to make you his child.

While a dog story can help a child feel like a star, Christ gives each one even more. God loves you, yes, you!

-Robert G. Taylor-