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The Wemmicks were small wooden people. These little wooden people
were carved by a woodworker named "Eli." Eli's workshop sat on a
hill overlooking the Wemmick Village.
Every one of the Wemmicks were different. Some had big noses,
others had large eyes. Some were tall and others were short. Some
wore hats, others wore coats. But all were made by the same carver
and all lived in the same village.
All day long, every day, the Wemmicks did the same thing. They
gave each other stickers. Each Wemmick had a box of golden star
stickers and a box of dull gray dot stickers. Up and down the
streets all over the city, people could be seen sticking gold
stars or gray dots onto each other. The pretty ones, those with
smooth wood and fine paint, always got shiny gold stars! But if
the wood was rough or the paint was chipped, the Wemmicks gave
dull gray dots. The talented ones got stars, too. Some could lift
big sticks high above their heads or jump over tall boxes. Still
others knew big words or could sing very pretty songs. Everyone
gave them shiny gold stars! Some Wemmicks had stars all over them!
Every time they got a star it made them feel so good that they did
something else and got another star.
There were many other Wemmicks though that could do very little.
They got dull gray dots! There was one little Wemmick and his name
was "Punchinello." He tried to jump high like the others, but he
always fell. And when he fell, the others would gather 'round and
give him dull gray dots. Sometimes when he fell, it would scar his
wood, so the people would give him more gray dots. He would try to
explain why he fell and, in doing so, he would say something
really silly. Then the Wemmicks would give him some more dots!!!
After a while, Punchinello had so many dots that he didn't want to
go outside. He was afraid he would do something dumb such as
forget his hat or step in the water, and then people would give
him more dull gray dots. In fact, he had so many gray dots that
some people would come up and just give him one without any
reason! "He deserves lots of dots," they would say. The wooden
people would agree with one another. "He's not a good wooden
person," they would say. After a while Punchinello believed them.
"I am not a good Wemmick!" he would say. The few times he went
outside, he hung around other Wemmicks who had a lot of gray dots.
At least he felt better around them.
One day, Punchinello met a Wemmick who was unlike any he'd ever
met. She had no dull gray dots and did not have any shiny golden
stars either. She was a wooden Wemmick and her name was "Lucia."
It wasn't that people didn't try to give her stickers; it's just
that the stickers didn't stick to her!!!
Some admired Lucia for having no dots, so they would run up and
give her a star. But it would fall off. Some would look down on
her for having no stars, so they would give her a dot. But they
would not stick either!!!
"That's the way I want to be!" thought Punchinello. "I don't want
anyone's marks!" So he asked the "stickerless" Wemmick how she did
it. "It's easy," Lucia replied. "Every day I go see Eli."
Punchinello asked,"Eli? Who is Eli?" She replied "Yes, Eli, He is
the woodcarver. I sit in His workshop and spend time with Him." He
asked Lucia,"Why do you do that?" Lucia told him, "Why don't you
find out for yourself? Go up the hill and visit with Him. He's
there!" And with that, the sweet little Wemmick named Lucia turned
and skipped away.
"But He won't want to see me!" Punchinello cried out to her. Lucia
didn't hear him, as she was too far away. So Punchinello went
home. He sat near a window and watched the wooden people as they
scurried around giving each other gold stars and gray dots. "It's
just not right," he muttered to himself. Then he resolved to go
see Eli after all.
Punchinello walked up the narrow path to the top of the hill and
stepped into the big Woodcarver Shop. His little wooden eyes
widened at the size of everything. The stool was as tall as he
was. He had to stretch on his tippy-toes to see the top of the
workbench. A hammer was as long as his arm. Punchinello swallowed
hard and thought to himself, "I'm not staying here!" and he turned
to leave. Then he heard his name. "Punchinello?" said this voice,
so deep and strong. Just then Punchinello stopped. The voice said,
"Punchinello, oh how good it is of you to come! Let me have a look
at you."
Punchinello slowly turned around and looked at the large bearded
craftsman and said, "Sir, you know my name?" "Of course I do. I
made you," Eli said. All of a sudden, Eli stooped down and picked
little Punchinello up and set him on the workbench. "Hmmmmm," the
Maker spoke thoughtfully as he inspected the gray circles all over
him, "Looks like you've been given some bad marks." Punchinello
explained, "Oh, Eli, I didn't mean to; really I didn't!!! I really
tried hard not to." The Maker said, "Oh, you don't have to defend
yourself to me, my child. I don't care what the other Wemmicks
think." Punchinello asked, "Really? You don't?" Then Eli said, "No
and you shouldn't either. Who are they to give stars or dots? They
are Wemmicks just like you. What they think really doesn't matter
at all, Punchinello. All that matters is what I think. And I think
you are pretty special."
Punchinello laughed, "Oh, me special? How can I be special? I
can't walk fast. I can't jump. My paint is peeling. I make silly
mistakes all the time and I am not a beautiful Wemmick like some
of the others. How could I matter to you?" Eli looked at
Punchinello and put his hands on those little wooden shoulders of
his and spoke very slowly, "Because Punchinello... you are mine.
That's why you matter to me." Punchinello had never had anyone
look at him like this before or say anything so nice, much less
his Maker! He didn't know what to say!
"Punchinello, every day I've been waiting and hoping you would
come to see me," Eli explained. Punchinello looked up at him and
said, "I came because I met a sweet Wemmick girl who had no
marks." Eli said, "I know. Lucia told me about you." So
Punchinello asked, "Why don't the stickers stay on Lucia?" Eli
said, "Because she has decided that what I think is more important
than what anyone else thinks. The stickers only stick if you let
them." Punchinello looked puzzled and said, "What?" Eli said,
"Yes, the stickers only stick if they matter to you. The more you
trust My love, the less you will care about those stickers."
But Punchinello said, "I'm not sure I really understand what you
are saying?" The maker said, "You will, but it will take some
time. You've got a lot of marks. So for now, just come to see me
every day and let me remind you how much I care about you."
Eli lifted Punchinello off the bench and set him on the floor.
"Now remember," Eli said as the Wemmick walked out the door. "You
ARE special because I made you, and I don't make mistakes."
Punchinello didn't stop, but in his heart he thought, "I think He
really means it." And each time he remembered what Eli told him
and each time he went to visit and talk with Eli, one of
Punchinello's dots would fall off. They kept falling off and soon
they were all gone!!!
So like Punchinello, it's important for us to remember that while
others may focus on outward appearances, our Creator is only
concerned with what's in our heart.
(May all your dots fall to the
ground...)
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With more than 15
million books in print, Max Lucado is known around the world for his
inspirational style of story telling.
Click here to see a list of his
most recent books. |
