You Are Loved!

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 As humans, we all need to know that we are loved. Sadly, many in this world don't feel the love of or from others and it tends to make them feel hopeless and worthless. I can completely relate, because for much of my life and even though I was loved by many, I felt unloved & unworthy of anything good as a result. Why? Well, I made a lot of bad choices in life and frankly, I became embarrassed and felt foolish even interacting with others--much less expecting love and acceptance from them. In my drug and alcohol-induced state, I went through cycles of isolation and depression. But, I was really good at putting on my mask & appearing "normal" to those around me. When I came to the place in life that I amitted I had a problem, many were surprised because I had hidden it well to all but those closest to me. I wish I could say that I knew where it all began...I'm not really certain. I had a pretty good childhood. We weren't wealthy, but I didn't lack anything. But for some reason, I always felt less than, like I was an unnecessary burden to my family, like I just didn't fit in somehow. At an early age--like 12-13, I began looking for "my people" who would accept me & love me for who I was. I found them, or so I thought. I started hanging out with neighborhood kids who were significantly older than me & that introduced me to a world of drugs, alcohol & sex. I felt "grown" and liked this newly discovered world. Needless to say, it didn't take long before things began spiraling out of control. Somehow, I maintained that lifestyle for several years before I came to the point that I couldn't anymore. God had been calling to me all along, I just wasn't listening and I was determined to do life my way. I didn't want to live by a list of "thou shalt nots" and a bunch of self-imposed religious rules. My lifestyle brought me to the brink of death and it was at that point that I begged God to take me out of this world. But He didn't...so, I told Him my life was a wreck & if He could do anything with it, He could have it because I was done--done as in I literally wanted to die. Because my family had been impacted by suicide, I vowed I would never do that...but the reality is that I wanted to still. I had reached a place of emotional and spiritual bankruptcy and felt I had nothing to offer, nothing to give and no reason to live. In His wisdom, God had placed someone in my life who reached out to me, who told me about God, who tried to put a mirror in front of me so I could see what he saw & what God saw in me. As I laid on the floor, in a fetal position and begging for death to come--I remembered some of the conversations Chris (God's instrument and vessel) & I had and it was then that I surrendered. I remember suddenly feeling such peace...peace like I had never felt before. It was as if a weight had been lifted from me. I felt warmth and love, I had hope again--something I hadn't experienced for over half my life at that point. I got up, cleaned myself up and drove to a nearby church to talk with the pastor. Some of his people had recently visited my home during a neighborhood outreach and one of the men was a guy I had gone to school with in years past, so it was the first church that came to mind. The pastor was kind and he reassured me that I had done nothing worthy of God's condenmation and damnation, that those thoughts were from the devil instead. I became a regular attender of that church & eventually joined, was baptized and began working to minister to others there. Over time, I joined the choir, I taught Sunday School, I worked with the youth program and served in any way I could. I was quite literally reborn into another person altogether. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 This verse was (and is) a reality in my life! I wish I could tell you everything has been easy since my conversion. I can't--there have been hard times, horrible losses, fractured relationships--but, God has walked with me through the hard times. He has comforted me and shown me grace & peace whether I was on the mountaintop or in the depths of a difficult valley. He has loved me through it all. God wants you to know that you too are loved! He sent His Son into this world for you. "For God so 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 He loved each of us, long before we recognized Him. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10 He walks with us and places others in our lives to love and encourage us & for us to offer love and encouragement to. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25 God doesn't make mistakes. He has a life plan designed specifically for you and frankly, there's nothing you can do that will make Him turn His back on you. It took me many years and a lot of heartache to realize this. If He did it for me, He can and will do it for you. Just know that you have worth, that you are here for a purpose, that you are valuable in the Kingdom, and most of all that YOU ARE LOVED! Blessings! Tony