It is vital to affirm your identity as a beloved child of God… You may not always feel the connection, but you must choose it regardless of your present emotional state, because your place in God’s heart is a matter of truth, not sentimentality. Who you really are is grounded in the Reality and power of the LORD God of Israel.
God our Savior loved you before you were born (Jer. 1:5; 31:3); he loved you from eternity itself, and there never was a time when God did not love you (Jer. 1:5; 31:3). The LORD “wove you together” in your mother’s womb (תְּסֻכֵּנִי בְּבֶטֶן אִמִּי) and brought you into being from nonexistence (Psalm 139:13-16). This is the precious gift of life itself (מַתַּת הַחַיִּים מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם). In Him you “live and move and have your being” (Acts 17:28). Moreover, the LORD gives you life from above and adopts you as his own (John 1:12; Rom. 8:15); he knows the number of the hairs on your head and every thought and word of your heart (Matt. 10:30; 12:26; Psalm 139:4); he directs every step of your journey throughout this life (Psalm 37:23; 139:3; 23; Prov. 16:9); he foresaw you when he offered up his life in redemption for your healing (1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:4; 1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:18); you are briah chadashah, a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15); you are always welcome in his presence (Eph. 1:6; Heb. 4:16); he will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5); he prepares a place for you in the world to come (Jer. 29:11; John 14:1-3); and one day he will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Rev. 7:17; 21:4).
In short, you belong to God from eternity: you were loved of God before you were born, and you will be loved by God after you die. From eternity unto eternity you are part of God’s heart and plans…
When you are tempted to feel badly about yourself, then, take a moment to reaffirm who God says you are. Know yourself as accepted and beloved. Don’t allow your past to hold you in exile; don’t give place to shame; know yourself only in relation to God’s eternal love for your soul. Whenever you feel hurt, angry, fearful, or rejected, turn inwardly to God and center yourself in his presence; realize that such negative feelings do not define what is most real about you. Bacharta ba’chayim: “Choose life!” Turn now to God; reaffirm that you are his beloved child, and thank him for the blessing of your redeemed life. Amen.
