I
sit beneath the starry dome
As usual, it’s only me.
“If
only, now, I had a friend
To show them what I see.
To
share a cup of coffee
And watch to stars come out.
To
laugh at silly little jokes
A friend to never doubt.”
Heartache
seems to cover me
I feel like no one cares.
There’s
prob’ly something wrong with me
To judge by people’s stares.
And
yet…
I hear a whisper,
A tenuous stream of thought:
“I
choose you.”
“No, that’s just absurd!
No
one really likes me,
And certainly not you!
I’m
just not worth the trouble!”
“Do you really think that’s true?!
No,
you are worth my trouble!
In fact, you’re worth my pain.
I
choose you!
I don’t think that you’re inane!
My
child, remember my Love.
My love, remember the Truth!
My
trusted, remember the sacrifice.
Remember…it was for you!”
Hmm,
the Gospel of Christ’s love for us is something that has inspired poets for the
last two millennia, and will most likely continue to do so until the end of
days. The question I received touches on a topic that is extremely important to
me. So without further ado, let’s dig in.
I don’t feel chosen by the Lord,
beautifully made, or good “enough.” I’m not sure what my question is but if you
have time it would be amazing to see what God has to say about these things and
your perspective on them too.
Gosh,
the first thing I want you to know is that you are not alone in feeling those
things. Not only do I feel that way sometimes, but I would be willing to bet that
every single person on the planet does as well.
The
second thing is that you are not good enough. Trying to fulfill the calling
that the Lord has laid on us, “be holy as I am holy,” is impossible for us to
do. The sooner we learn that being even being “good” (to say nothing of being
good enough) is out of our range capabilities, the sooner we can be free. Please,
please, please don’t try to be good enough. The Pharisees were “good enough,”
and it was they who captured our King in the middle of the night and crucified Him.
I’m
coming back to this, but I need to explain something else first.
What
does it mean to feel chosen? How can
we feel the unbelievably awesome
power of Christ’s joy over our salvation, over His bride? So often, I don’t
feel loved or chosen. I don’t feel like it’s all that big a deal to be
Christian in this day and age. My friends, that is our enemy’s masterful
deception. The entire Bible is the story of God’s choice.
Join
me for a moment. I want you to imagine something: think of yourself as mother.
Imagine the joy that your child brings you, just by existing. He doesn’t need
to do anything special, your love for him is complete just because he’s yours.
Think about the true, all-encompassing joy that that image brings. The kind of
joy that is so big it hurts inside. I want you to imagine watching while the
most elite of green berets torture that child for 15 hours until he dies. Now remember
John 3:16. God watched that…for you.
“Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed with every
spiritual blessing. For God choose us, in Christ before the foundation of the
world” (Eph 1:3-4a).
Let
that sink in. You…no, not the person you could or should be, you! …were chosen.
He wanted you so badly that He watched His only, dearly-loved son be crucified
(the most painful form of torture available) for you! It is so easy for us to
let the Gospel become this big philosophical, esoteric idea. While it is big
enough to handle that kind of perspective, that’s not what it’s about! It is
about a choice. It is about the most painful choice in history. God separated,
literally tore himself apart, because of how much He loves you. The Gospel is
about a choice. It is about the most beautiful love story that has ever been
written. The Hero is so captivated by His beloved that He gives His life to
save her, and then rises from the dead so that there can still be a joyous
ending. The Hero gave His life for you and has called you His bride. He thinks that who you are is so captivating that He
can’t look away. He named you so valuable that He gave his life to save yours,
and there is still a happily-ever-after to come.
Don’t
try to be good enough. Rejoice in the redemption that has washed that necessity
away. You are beloved and you are forgiven, your identity is pure perfection in
your lover’s eyes.
“Charm
is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be
praised.” (Prov 31:30)
Don’t
fall into the trap of examining your skin, the shape of your body, or the
clothes that the Lord has provided. God looks at the heart, and He wants yours.
If you seek to find who you are in how you look, you will find identity there.
The identity that you will find there is deceptive, vain, manipulative,
cutting, and ultimately flimsy. That identity can be deeply wounded every time
a girl gives you a disparaging look or a guy’s eyes move right past you, never
realizing that you’re there. Please, my dearest sisters, don’t find your
identity there! Fear the Lord and only Him. Your heart only has room to fear
one thing. If you are afraid of not looking beautiful, then you have given your
heart to vanity. This tears at the heart of the One who loves you! He loves you
so desperately that when you give your heart to anything else, He weeps.
He
has passed down the story of His love for you, from generation to generation.
He calls us to remember what has been done for us.
Feelings
are very real, but don’t let them govern your view of the Truth. On the days
that you don’t feel beautiful, or wanted: remember! Remember what your
bridegroom thinks of you. Remember what He has done to show His choice. Remember
that His love is desperate, and he wants nothing less than all!
I
thank God, every time I remember you in my prayers. Remember His love story and
what it really means to be chosen. I love you guys!
May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit. –Rom 15:13
