Ok so here we go again. Those of you who read and know me well, know how relational I am with music. I mean, I was a DJ in high school. Very rarely is there not a song playing on the radio in my car and, of late, rarely is something not playing on my phone when I'm home. And if you read back a few posts to "What do I know of Holy," even if you don't know me well, you will see that music speaks a powerful language. But I digress . . .
So let me ask a question. A hard question but one most of us have struggled with from time to time. How many of us have, at some point in our lives had to deal with the idea that I was (fill in the blank) too fat, too thin, too smart, not smart enough, too bad, too worthless . . . and I could make the list go on and on (and so could you). Doesn't the question really come down to "Does God really love me?" or perhaps more telling, "How could God love me? I've done this or I've been that. How could He really love me?" And you know what, He does. Not only does He love you - He wants you. Don't take my word for it . . . I'm still not there yet. But ok, so here's a song I've had playing on my phone - for 2.5 hours - on repeat.
Wanted - Dara Maclean
Seriously??? When God wants my attention, he frequently gets it in the music I listen to. The line "you are wanted" has been running through my head and I thought, "I need to find that song and listen to it. See what else it says." So I did. For those of you who stopped and took the time to watch the video (or those of you who are headed there now) do you get the WOW factor? I mean really . . . look at the words:
"From the day you were born
And took your first breath
You opened your eyes and in came the light
He was watching you
But all of your life you couldn't shake the lies in your head
Saying you're a mistake
Oh but you were made
By a God who knows your name
He doesn't make mistakes
CHORUS
You are wanted
To every broken heart, He stands with open arms
You are wanted
To every searching soul, look to the rising sun
If you're lonely, hurting, gone too far
To the outcast you come as you are
For you, you are wanted, you, you are wanted
You, you are wanted, you, you are wanted"
How many of us have been there? How many of us ARE there? But you know what, God does love us. Or to take the pressure off of you for a minute, God loves me. I'm not a mistake and what happens in life isn't a mistake. And you know what? Sometimes life throws you some pretty crappy curve balls. And sometimes we wonder why in the world we go through what we do. And we wonder why we make the mistakes we do. And we wonder how could God ever love me? Look at the mess of my life. I've asked the question - and I'm pretty sure in some form or fashion most people have. But you know what? He wants me.
So I sent the link to a friend of mine who is constantly, in her own way, expressing a very similar view. She says again and again that He loves you right where you are. He died for you. He cares for you. He hurts for you. He loves you. You are special to Him. I mean, if you have any type of conversation with her, one of these phrases is bound to come up. But anyway, I sent her the link and said, "Is this what you mean?"
I got a "Yes!" And I got a reminder as well. Psalm 139:14-16:
"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."
How could a God who takes that time, who knows me that intricately, NOT want me?? How could He NOT love me? He already knew what twists and turns I was going to make. They were recorded before one single one had passed. There are no surprises. He already knew all the good and all the gunk and LOVES me anyway. Put you in for me - same story.
You know what? Life is messy. It's a broken world and we are a broken people. But the one truth we can count on every single day and with every single breath is that God loves us and wants us. It doesn't have anything to do with me and there aren't any strings attached. He knows your name. He has open arms and wants to hold you in them.
Am I there yet - believing this 110% of the time? Not by a long shot. But am I reminded of the truth of a God who desperately and deeply loves and wants me? Absolutely. So I just wanted to share it with you. Maybe it will touch you like it has touched me (like a sledgehammer on the head) or maybe it's just good to be reminded how much you are loved. No matter what your place in life - where you have been, where you are or where you're going; no matter how good, bad or ugly - God loves you, He wants you and He cares for you more than you will ever know. You are wanted.
Just thoughts as I chat with the cacti . . .
