You know when you were in elementary school gym class, and you got picked last for dodgeball.
No? Maybe you were the one of the people that were always picked first, because you were athletic. I certainly was not one of those people. I was almost always picked last, but I know it was all strategic, because I wouldn’t have picked me first either. I was terrible at dodgeball, still am. But that’s beside the point.
But if you were like me, I remember thinking everyone is getting picked before me. I suck, no one wants me on their team. (I know, dramatic but stick with me)
As I got older, I’ve had these thoughts come back into my head and I go back to that image of a dodgeball game. No one is choosing me. Am I not good enough? The lies that I hear in my head over and over again.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Whether it was friends choosing other friends or relationships over spending time with me, I was not getting chosen. Every time I wasn’t getting picked, something seemed more important than me. While I know it seems kinda selfish, I’m just trying to be completely honest with you guys. I was hurt and bitter.
One night I was laying in bed, feeling sorry for myself, something changed. I began to pray. I was complaining to God that I was feeling lonely and left out. I was going on and on about not being “chosen”. But then I heard a whisper saying, “Oh, my beloved, what about me?”
WAIT, WHAT?!
God spoke to me and said,
“Oh, My Beloved, what about me?”
“How many times do you choose hanging with your friends over me, sleeping in instead of spending time with me, not reading your Bible because you ‘don’t feel like it right now’ or you’re ‘too busy’. How many times do you choose any and everything over me?”
woah.
How could I be mad or upset with people in my life, when I was treating the creator of the universe the same, or even worse. The God who created me, who relentlessly pursues me every single day, I have been putting everything I want above Him. You see our God is a Jealous God. He wants our attention and love, so much so that He romances us daily through His creation. He continuously fights for us and our attention. And no matter how many times we turn our back on Him, He is still there waiting with open arms.
So I just want to encourage you, whenever you feel left out or lonely, remember the one who is there and hasn’t stopped pursuing you. Remember that the creator of the universe is standing there with His arms wide open. He is waiting on you to turn back and run wholeheartedly to Him, where He will embrace you with a huge hug. So stop running away. Turn around and chase after Jesus.
This song by Steffany Gretzinger called Reckless Love has been reminding me of the reckless love of God, that continuously pursues us, even when we don’t deserve it. If you are like me, and need a reminder of the never ending love of God, I encourage you to check out this song, and really listen to the words. Reckless Love- Steffany Gretzinger
