God Has Chosen You

“I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” Isaiah 41:9

Remember gym class in middle school? If changing in the locker room with girls who had clearly reached puberty wasn’t humiliating enough, standing in a row waiting to be chosen by a team captain hit the mark. Unless, of course, you were one of those athletic girls. I was not.

One by one girls were picked from the line. Some giggled as they joined their bff; others high-fived resolving to crush the competition. I, however, remained in the line-up…waiting to be chosen. I shifted my slightly overweight body from side to side wishing I could transport myself to a different dimension. But I couldn’t and remained in the line-up until all but one or two stood beside me.

Rejected. Leftover. Loser.

Thank the good Lord gym class is not mandatory as an adult. But we don’t need gym class to feel like we have a giant L on our forehead, do we? All we need is a few minutes on social media to view the fabulous lives of people we hardly know or see pictures from a friend’s party we were NOT invited to. Attending a PTA social, or God forbid, a church function, with women who still behave like they’re in middle school can also do the trick. Maybe it’s your husband, child or other family member who picked up the marker and wrote an L on your forehead with their words or actions.

Dear friend, I wanted to share today’s focus verse with you because, if you’ll let it, the truths of it have the power to erase the L.

God has chosen you. He has not rejected you.

Read over those last two statements again – slowly. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Now think about this. Before you were born, God knew you completely. He fashioned your mind, body and soul uniquely with characteristics that reflected his own beauty and character. He made you the object of his perfect love, then he set you apart from all that was ordinary and wrote a one-of-a-kind story for your life that is extraordinary (Psalm 139). He chose you to be his.

And there’s another part to this that I don’t want you to miss. He chose you, not because you make the best double fudge cake in town (Although I would choose you for this! Wink.), not because your kids are well behaved or you can lead a Bible study at church. Nope. He chose you simply because he created you and wanted you to be his. And on those days when you screw up big time or your life feels like a hot mess, you can rest in knowing that God will never, ever reject you.

Friend, God has given you his whole self. Have you given your whole self to him? Where is fear holding you back? He stands at the door of your heart knocking. Will you let him in to heal you, encourage you and strengthen you today? 

Anna Frye is a speaker, author, television host and founder of the Chosen and Crowned tribe. She invites moms and wives to celebrate imperfect progress fueled by the grace of a perfect God. She helps women bravely talk about the messy places of life, instead of hiding shamefully under them. She believes that lasting beauty comes when women courageously surrender their ashes to God and allow him to do something mind-blowingly amazing with them. If this resonates with you, then you belong with the Chosen and Crowned tribe. Connect at www.ChosenAndCrowned.com/blog