"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2 Peter 1:4
In 2014, my heart was hurting. Rejection always hurts and as a young 15 years old, unsure and insecure, I was looking for comfort.
In May of that year, our family attended the highlight of our year: a family conference! Encouraging speakers, reunions with friends from past years, and programs for all ages; our family loved that conference, but for me, one speaker would change my life.
Katherine Allen Ritchie.
Her message?
My identity in Christ.
Who I am in Christ. What Christ says about me.
The sweet speaker shared her own story of rejection, the pain of losing her older sister when a drunk driver jumped a curb while their family was serving as missionaries in Russia, her own injuries incurred from the accident, and more.
My heart was grieved as I listened to her story, but it was her message of truth that struck me the most. As a young teenager looking for identity and hurt over years of rejections, that message was designed for me.
The promises of God that she reminded me of were mine for the keeping and have only become more precious and applicable as the years have passed.
Application.
I typed out the promises that had resonated the most with me and pasted them on the wall around my bed. One night as I lay sobbing over loneliness and the hurt of rejection, I just turned to my wall and began quoting those promises over to myself.
The comfort of His promises.
In the back of my Bible, you would see this....
I had picked my favorite promises and had written them in my bible to be readily reminded.
- I am Beautiful - Isaiah 62:3 "Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God."
- I am Precious and Honored - Isaiah 43:4 "Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou has been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life."
- I am Loved - Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I love by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."
- I am Accepted - Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise and the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved."
- I am Chosen - John 15:16 "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you..."
- I am Secure - Psalm 18:33 "He maketh my feet like hind's feet and setteth me upon my high places."
- I am Delighted in - Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing."
- I am His - Isaiah 43:1 "...I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine."
- I Glorify God - Psalm 50:15 "And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me."
- I am God's Friend - John 15:15 "...but I have called you friends."
- I am Not Forgotten - Isaiah 49:15 "...yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget you."
Do you believe that His love extends past mistakes and sins? Do you see yourself the way your Heavenly Father sees you?
The promises of God are not small to them that love Him. His love extends above and beyond all that, we could ask or think. His comfort sustains and renews.
His promises are for YOU!!!!!
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