Hey, Misfit, God loves you through and through...

Here are some facts your heart needs to remember this morning... 

God made you. In your mom's womb, God personally knitted you together. He likes the way you look. Your hair and eyes are beautiful to Him. Your cheek bones and your nose and your skinny/fat/long/short feet were fashioned in His heart and created by His hand. He breathed life into you. He made you to please Himself. You ARE fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Now, you may feel like a misfit toy. 

You may BE a misfit toy. Lord knows, I've felt like a misfit toy most of my life. I reckon the feelings are founded.

Sometimes, we're different because circumstances beyond our control have affected us in ways even we cannot quite explain. 

Sometimes, we're different because we are warped by our own sin.

Sometimes, we're different because God fashioned that difference into us. 

He's working on and out the circumstances. We need to turn to Him about the sin, own it and seek healing. We need to embrace the way we're different. Don't confuse the way we're made and our sin; where we're different because of sin, that's on us. Still, God sees that and desires to work in that, too!

Either way, God loves you. He loves you, not in the romantic sense, but in the sense of action and mercy and grace and benevolent concern over His creation. He has ACTED in love for us...over and over and over...sustaining creation, NOT striking us dead as our sin deserves...and...no, AND, in giving the precious blood of Jesus to pay the penalty of our sin.

Whenever you wonder if God loves you, remember...

• He personally made you
• He IS exercising grace and mercy right now; today ('cause you're breathing!)
• He sustains creation to support you
• He gave Jesus to win you
• He is revealing Himself to you (How? you might ask...even right now, He is showing you Himself through these reminders -- or, for some, they may be revelations)

Sure, many of us feel like misfit toys, rejected by the "normal" folk. Sure, many of us feel broken. Well, actually, all of us ARE broken. But, today is a good day to heed the voice of the Lord. Today is a good day to call out to Father God, Lord Jesus and Helper Spirit...come over me, we might pray, make me new...be near me...I see [remember] Your goodness to me in Christ Jesus...I need You...I confess, I am broken...I am a misfit...I need You, Lord! More than ever, today, I need You. 

I love the precious words of Jesus, calling to even mine own heart today: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28 ESV)

Unlike people, God sees you. He knows you. AND, He loves you through and through.

Will Reagan and United Pursuit do well to musically remind us of God's beautiful, all-knowing, yet loving understanding of us...

In the children's special Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, King Moonracer has to give Rudolph and his friends special permission to stay on the Island of Misfit Toys. King Moonracer's provision is simple; Rudolph can stay one night, but they must go tell Santa about the island so Santa will help find these toys special, loving places to live.

God's story for me and you is a little different. In Jesus, the Father accepts us and never casts us out. In Jesus, we are home. In Jesus, there is room for every misfit toy. In Jesus, we have family. In Jesus, we have mission; we can tell all the toys -- misfit or not -- they too can have a home where they are loved!

He does see us. He does know us. And, He loves us through and through. God will take us as we are, but, praise Him, He does not leave us there. Are you the train with the square wheels? Are you the spotted elephant? Are you the red nosed reindeer? God will use your difference or heal it...whatever is required for you and whatever is good for His glory!