I found a birthday card that was to me and only from my Dad. He had written in it and I will share this one part. "Jill, Happy birthday to my only daughter. You will never know my love for you. You do too because you have two girls. You have a special place in my heart...I am proud of you in so many ways...." I cannot throw that birthday card away because it came from someone special. It makes me feel good to read it. And some days you just need to know someone believes in you.
We should look at the Bible as the most special love letter there is from our Heavenly Father! It is written for you and for me. He loves us like we are His only child. We will never know how much He loves us. Even as a Mom I know He loves me more than I can even comprehend! I know I have a special place in His heart! And I know He is proud of me even though I am far from perfect.
I love to think about how He has a special place in His heart. First of all, He formed me. Psalm 139: 13-16, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth." And verse 15 tells me that He made plans for all of my days. "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." He knew what I would be like and what I would do. He had a purpose for my life before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in His book. Every moment of my life was recorded in His book before a single moment had passed.
How can we not live life to the fullest when we think about how much God loves us and has planned for us? Jeremiah 29: 11, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah wrote to a group of Israelites who were being held captive. They wanted to go home and He was reminding them that God had not forgotten them. God's plans would still prevail. We have to remember that God's plans are not just to benefit us personally. God didn't move them from their bad situation immediately. He promised to restore them but 70 years out, many of them were dead. God reminds us that we can move forward knowing that in the eternal picture, God's justice will prevail.
God does have a plan for us and ultimately He will give us a glorious future! But while we are on this earth, we will learn the most when we persevere through trials. The more we persevere the more we see God's Hand. The more we see God's Hand, the more joy we find.
In the midst of our trials let's remember Jeremiah 29: 11 knowing that God will give us hope in the midst of our trials. Let's give thanks for the hard times that make us grow.
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