1 John 3:1, NIV: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

A man I know described how He felt that God viewed him. He said, "I feel like I am a dog on the floor beneath God's table, scrounging for crumbs." To Him, he was somehow undeserving of God's full and rich blessings. It reminds me of a picture of a child with his face pressed against a window, looking into a room where he is not welcome. I confess there are days I feel like I'm on the outside looking in. I hear someone talk about Jesus, or quote scripture, and do it with such heartfelt expression; all the while I feel like I am missing something--or like I've lost something. Fortunately for us, our status in God's house is not dependent upon our feelings. As His children, we do not have to stand outside, pressing our faces against the glass, looking in. All we have to do walk through the door, go in, sit at His table, and find in Him whatever might be missing.