Loved, Pursued, & Chosen

Don't settle. Don't allow yourself to be used and mistreated. Don't let someone arrogant make you feel inferior. Don't let another person's callous or careless words define you and shred your self-esteem. Don't fall for the lie that you're not enough. Don't settle for constantly feeling unloved and unwanted. DON'T SETTLE!!

There is more available. (And I certainly don't just mean with people, as we mostly seem to specialize in self-protection and disappointing each other.) But despite that, there IS more available. Cling desperately to God! There is love and security and hope and amazing, intimate heart connection and romance with Him!! He deeply loves you and pursues your heart every day. He hasn't given up on you. He is not bored with you or tired of you or annoyed by your presence. He "gets" you when no one else does. You are not alone; you are not unseen; you are not unwanted. You are not invisible. You are heard, seen, and chosen. You are called. Your life matters. You are precious to Him. You are loved. You are LOVED enough to die for. You are known. You are enough. 

Stop striiiiiiving for a moment and simply rest in that. (Talking to myself here as much as anyone else.) 

Jesus is the Hero in the greatest story ever told, and you are His beloved, His bride, the one whose heart He is fighting to win and redeem and protect!! He is alive and close and here for you right now. He sees you in the quiet moments of struggle and pain. He knows all your flaws and secrets, and still, He delights in you. He wants to help you, and His patience will not wear thin or run out. He has chosen you. Nothing you've done has disqualified you from receiving His love. He will never reject you and His love for you will not end. Seriously. The worst possible thing that could happen to you will never happen - nothing can separate you from His love! He loves you fiercely and intensely. He will never stop fighting for you!  Stay alive to Him, and He will come through for you!

Loved, pursued, and chosen.

That's ME in the eyes of Christ.

(After the prize-worthy amounts of rejection I've endured from people, this is the most important piece of my identity in Him - to believe this is everything!)

You are loved, pursued, and chosen.

Believe that.

Trust Him.

Cling to Him.

STAY with Him!

Because it's not tangible (YET), it can be hard to feel this sometimes... I know that. Right now, though, I feel it! And I want to hold onto that for as long as possible! Hooray for having a heart that's awake and alive to romance, and for having a God who is absolutely faithful and personally loves and pursues each of us in unique ways! 

Finally, on the theme of romance, you can (and should) watch this full clip on YouTube, but I wanted to upload this from my cellphone because it's from our movie night at Captivating, and I just love hearing the reaction when he comes up the escalator. :)