I am the youngest child of five and I came along a number of years after the first four. When I had my first child in 1987 my mother told me how she thought four children were plenty; when she learned she was pregnant again, she wasn’t happy about it. But she said that after I was born she was very thankful for #5. I had never heard that story before and my first response was a teasing question, “So I was an accident?” And she quickly and forcefully replied, “No! You were a surprise, but not an accident!”
While I was a surprise to my parents, I am no surprise to God! And neither are you. God knew you before you were even conceived.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16
And God focuses his love on you through Jesus Christ.
“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” Ephesians 1:4-6 The Message
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
Lavish. I just love that word; extravagant, over-the-top, unrestrained, generous, luxurious, excessive.
“For God so extravagantly over-the-top loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” 1 John 3:16a
“So if your flesh ever tries to rant and rave that you’re not worthy enough to be used or that you’re just an accident, you need to take authority over your flesh and tell it to shut its stupid mouth!” Rick Renner
You are not an accident.
God knows you.
God loves you.
God poured out Himself for you.
God has plans for you.
You. Are. Loved.
Let that sink into your brain, friend.
I'm praying for you,
Pastor Deb