You Are WantedChikamu

The Truth About You

The word rejected had been spinning through my head since the day he left. Almost 20 years of marriage - over.

Rejection and betrayal are unique experiences with pain, aren't they? In their wake, we lose self-esteem, we wonder about our value, and if you're like me, shame can set in and leave us feeling small and deeply unwanted.

One morning, as I wrestled with God over the loss of my marriage, I found myself pleading with Him for answers. I wondered if maybe I really was unloveable. Suddenly, the word relished dropped into my mind.

Relished, God? Really? I said in my heart.

Feeling prompted to look it up, I found that relished means to add zest, to enjoy greatly, and to adore.

Adore! Enjoy greatly! To add zest!

With bursting excitement, I grabbed my Bible and flipped through its pages. My eyes landed on Zephaniah 3:17, where it says, "For the Lord, your God is living among you. He is a mighty saviour. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." (NLT)

My heart still loves the sound of this passage. God delights in us. His love calms our fears. He rejoices over us in singing. Can you picture this? What a wonderfully comforting reminder of just how personal and up close God is.

When we listen hard to the voices of the ones who have hurt us, we risk losing sight of the truth. The Creator adores us. The love He has for us cannot be measured. And if that is true, then the hurt handed to us by another person does not get the final say about our worth.

More searching, I found Psalm 36:7, "Your faithful love is priceless, God! Humanity finds refuge in the shadow of your wings."

If you can, underline this passage. His love is faithful. His love is priceless. And in Him we have refuge. These are attributes of a love we can count on. A love that isn't going anywhere. It can't be taken away from us, it won't end, and there is nothing we can do to earn or lose it.

In the chaos and confusion of rejection and betrayal, we risk forgetting just how much Jesus loves us. If we let it, the pain can hold us hostage to a false narrative about our worth. But the Bible is bursting with messages right from the heart of our Heavenly Father about just how much He loves us.

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his only son" (John 3:16a). You are the object of the greatest pursuit of all time because of a love too great to comprehend.

May we stand fully in the truth and safety of this Love and learn to see ourselves through the eyes of the Man Who declares us worthy of His pursuit.

Healing Activity

Write out three scriptures that remind you that Jesus loves you. Memorize them. Recite them throughout your day. Write them on post-it notes, on your phone, and your heart.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, this is so hard. Battling the rejection story is exhausting. But I believe you love me. Help me to really feel it, Lord. Give me the power to understand how wide, how long, how deep, and how high your love is for me. And please give me the strength I need to focus on your love for me, not the hurtful words that have been said. Teach me again who you say I am. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.