Loved.

              Adoption has a very special place in my heart. It’s a really beautiful thing. Why? Because adoption is when somebody sacrifices to give a child what they could never give to themselves. That child is chosen and given a second chance at life. It isn’t something that has to happen- it is a choice. So why am I talking about adoption anyway? Because adoption is the gospel. We have been adopted. And this is crazy. This isn’t just a parent deciding to add to their family. This is a God who is perfect and holy choosing a people who are beyond broken (Romans 5:8). He literally looked at us in our sin and brokenness, saw everything that we are not, and said, “Yes, I want them. They are worth it.” He gave his own son for the crowd of people shouting for him to be crucified. For the murderer. The adulteress. The sick. The poor. So that EVERYONE would have the opportunity to spend eternity with Him. He chose to adopt us not because of who we are- but because of who He is. This is a love that we could never deserve or earn. This is an extravagant love that can’t even fully be explained or understood. It’s not a love you find in an earthly relationship. It is a perfect love. It is an unconditional love. It is a love that never fades, and it is a love that brings freedom. It is a love that brings fullness, joy, and it is an eternal love. This love shows us the character of God and it calls for celebration and praise.

              God gives us this love to delight in every day. He is always there. His love is always there. But sometimes we don’t feel like it or we choose to run away from it. I’ve really been feeling his love lately. Not because life is sunshine and rainbows; I’m wrestling with stuff. But he has shown me that I can’t just ignore him because of a situation or a season that I’m in. There is no hiding from His grace.

“Where can I go to escape your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I live at the eastern horizon

or settle at the western limits,

even there your hand will lead me;

your right hand will hold on to me.”

–          Psalm 139:7-10

              I don’t know about you, but escaping is something that I think I can do for some reason. We get mad. Upset. Hurt. Everybody reacts to situations and emotions differently. Me- I’m a feeler; I like to fixate on my emotions. We let thoughts and lies hold us back- shame, guilt, fear, and more. But here’s the truth: Gospel facts always trump my feelings. Believe that. I don’t know what you’re feeling today, but I do know that God wants you to believe his gospel. To see yourself as His child. As a coheir with Christ. As His beloved. As enough- because He is enough. We can’t escape His presence or reverse these truths. He doesn’t take no for an answer. Because he chose us and he wants us. And again, he doesn’t even need us.

              He created the whole Earth and everything in it- but he wants your heart; just think about that for a minute. My pastor explains it in a really good way: “The greatest problem of your life isn’t that you don’t love God enough, it’s that you don’t realize how much He loves you.” This love that he freely gives is something that cannot be satisfied by the things of this world. Nothing will fill our hearts the way He does. Things change when we believe the truths He tells us. Sometimes this is hard, but it’s necessary. So, with all this being said, remember his love today. Walk in His truths. Believe that you are a child of the one true king. When we do so he does great things in us and through us.