In “You Are Special”, Max Lucado tells the story of the Wemmicks, little wooden people who spend their days giving each other stickers—gold stars for being smart, pretty, or talented, and gray dots for mistakes or flaws. Punchinello, who often trips and stumbles, collects more dots than stars and begins to believe he isn’t worth much. But then he meets a Wemmick named Lucia, who doesn’t have any stickers at all. Stars and dots don’t stick to her because she spends time every day with Eli, the woodcarver who made her.
When Punchinello visits Eli, he learns that he is special not because of what others think, but because Eli created him and loves him. Eli reminds Punchinello that his worth doesn’t come from stars or dots, but from the fact that he belongs to his Maker. The lesson of the story is that we, too, are special and deeply loved by God—not because of our achievements or failures, but because He made us, knows us, and calls us His own.
Tiffany Poirier 