Former Blackout Artist

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. – Ephesians 1:13

I spent much of my early life trying to fit in somewhere. But for some reason I never had much luck. I was too slow and not athletic enough on the playground to be picked for the team. I wasn’t smart enough in the classroom. I was too shy with the girls, and not cool enough for the guys. So I did what most kids like me did – I drifted. Alone.

Eventually I would make a few friends. But our little group was known as the poor kids who wore hand-me-downs to school. But I felt like someone in that small circle, you know? I felt accepted. I felt valued. I felt….

… Loved.

Kids can be really cruel sometimes. Especially the rich kids. But I’m thankful that I found that small group friends, who didn’t reject me because I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, rich enough, or athletic enough. They accepted me. I felt included.

Today, I don’t have to worry about that fear of rejection. I don’t have to fit in to someone else’s mold of how I should think or what I should be. Because of Christ, I have been included in God’s family. More than that, even – I was chosen. God had His eye on me long before He created the moon and the stars! I don’t have to compete for His attention, I don’t have to do a bunch of things to get Him to love or accept me more. I don’t have to be the smartest kid in class, the most athletic kid on the playground, or the wealthiest kid in school. What a relief! All He has ever wanted from me is my heart.

Because you see, there’s still a little kid in me who still needs his Father’s love… who needs to talk to Him, and needs to hear what He has to say to me. I love it when He often reminds me that He made me in His image, and that nothing I ever do would cause Him to stop loving me. Or when He tells me that if I ask Him for good things – He will give them to me. When I need advice, when I’ve done something wrong, and even when I do something right – He’s all eyes and ears! He sees and listens.

So if nothing else is putting a spark in your day today, just think about what it means to be included. And not just into any family, but the family of our King – Jesus Christ!

You are royalty, loved one! And someday there will even be a crown waiting for you in heaven.