I have a give-away and a special “welcome” for new friends hopping over from my Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion. I hope you’ll make yourself comfortable and stay a while. Before we get started, I wanted to show you my book cover!! I can’t believe the cover is in catalogs and the book will be on shelves July 2011! All I can say is wow God.
In my devotion today, I wrote about our longing to be chosen. From the time I can remember, I wanted someone to choose me. To value me. To want me. Someone other than my parents, that is.
Do you remember the first time you wanted someone to choose you? Maybe it was a game on the playground, a position on a team or an invite to a party.
Wanting to be chosen plays into our question of whether we’re good enough to be chosen, doesn’t it? But, when someone says or does something that makes us feel good enough, it fills an empty place in our hearts where the longing was before.
Then they change their mind or hurt our feelings, and our filled-up place leaks. Our good enough drains out and our confidence goes with it. A sense of inadequacy leaves us feeling empty again.
There are several things that have happened to make me feel like I wasn’t good enough. I recently started sharing a part of my story that I hadn’t shared before, and I’ve discovered almost every woman can relate. I don’t have the whole message available today, but I have a 2min video segment that I’d like to share with you.
Note: The first 20 sec are photos/titles because we use this for event promotions, but it’s pretty quick. Just click the arrow to watch, and then scroll down to read the rest of my post. But be sure to watch this first, or it won’t make sense.
More than anything, I just want you to know I understand. I have felt the cavernous emptiness that comes with painful rejection from someone you love. It’s hard to believe I can smile about it now, and share lessons I’ve learned. When it happened, I was devastated. Crushed. Wounded. Convinced I’d never be good enough.
I remember going to my pastor, asking him to help me process the pain and excruciating sadness. I wanted him to tell me how awful my fiancé was and how I had the right to feel betrayed and deceived. I’ll never forget him saying, “Renee, you can’t put your hope in a man; you can only put your hope in God. A man’s love will always disappoint you.”
Honestly, I wanted to throw something at him. I didn’t want him to correct me; I wanted him to side with me. How can you love someone and not put your hope in them? I questioned.
Deep down, though, I knew he was right. I’d always put my hope in a man’s love and been disappointed. I’d tried to find my good enough in what others thought about me and now I had to face my fear of not being chosen.
I needed to separate myself and my worth from a man’s decision to want me or not. I had to hold his words and preferences up to God’s Word and cling to the promise that He chose me and would never reject me. In time, healing came. As I recovered from being unwanted by a man, I embraced the fullness that comes in knowing I am completely accepted by God. I learned how to let Him fill the empty places in my heart and help me find my good enough in Him.
God gave us the deep desire to be chosen, loved and accepted so He could fill and fulfill that desire. He chooses us. He loves us. And through Christ, He accepts us. If we didn’t long for love and acceptance, we’d never recognize our need for His.
***
1) Send this post or a link (with God’s promises below) to someone who might need to know just how much God loves them.
2) Tell a friend (via email, twitter or Facebook) about today’s give-away and how they can enter to win here.
3) Share today’s devotion,You’re the One I Want with someone who needs to be reminded that God sees them and chooses them again and again!
4) Click the word “comments” at the bottom of this post, to tell me which one, two or three you did. Each time you share the love, you’ll be entered to win! For another chance, let me know if and how God spoke to your heart through today’s messages.
Confident Heart Promises
When I feel unimportant, God says: I am CHOSEN.
“You are my witness,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He.” Is 43:10
When I feel worthless, God says: I am LOVED.
“You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you.” Is 43:4
When I feel forgotten, God says: I am REMEMBERED.
“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Is 49:16
When I feel abandoned, God says: I am NEVER ALONE.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge… Ps 73:28
When I feel inadequate, God says: I am SECURE.
“Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deut 33:12
Check back Monday for more encouragement, my final Christmas give-away and the name of today’s winner! If you’d like to be notified, you can sign up in my sidebar for email updates, follow me in Google connect, or friend me on Facebook!
each time i used to read smaller content that as well clear their
motive, and that is also happening with this post which I am reading at this
time.
I was so encouraged by your devotional today that I shared it with my 3 sisters! What a blessing! God bless you!
I am your friend on Facebook now!! Yeah
I sent this to 30 of my friends and family and shared it on facebook!
~Michelle
shellbean27407 at yahoo
Renee…I am SO EXCITED about this book. I posted it on Facebook to let everyone know about it. For years I have struggled with a prohibitive conscience and I ALWAYS second guess myself and the impression I made on others…thinking I might have done or said something wrong when I know I didn't. It makes me feel so insecure…and I CANNOT wait to read about having a confident heart!! I really need one!! Thanks and i can't wait to read the book!!
Buffi
Congratulations on your book! The cover looks great. Even more, the subject sounds intriguing and needed!
Thank you for this devotion. I love what you said at the bottom of this post here:
"God gave us the deep desire to be chosen, loved and accepted so He could fill and fulfill that desire. He chooses us. He loves us. And through Christ, He accepts us. If we didn't long for love and acceptance, we'd never recognize our need for His."
This realization gives reason to our wanting and supports the One True Way to fulfill that want.
I love the verses you shared along with the promises from your book. I love using verses to support ANYthing!
Thanks for this gift opportunity. I also tweeted about this post: http://twitter.com/Keep_Tha_Faith/status/16029952809893888
i shared this with my daughter who also shares alot with me. i needed this at this time for i take care of my two granchildren and one who is really a sickly child with his heart and kidney. i don't feel worthy of taking care of him sometimes but with your encouragement i see that if God wanted him someplace else He would have placed him somewhere else. thank you so much.
I am SOOOOOOOOO excited to see the cover of your book! 🙂 Oh, friend! How precious it must be for YOU to see it! To see a glimpse of the finished project!
Rejoicing and looking forward to reading it!!!!!!
I really would love this I want to get everything I can to get thru this depression…
Wow, what a devotion and message! I've struggled with rejection since I was a teen and being almost 31 it's not gotten much easier. I'm thankful to have a patient, loving husband-one God placed in my life. However, I know it's unfair for me to expect my husband to fulfill this need I have to feel worthy, loved and CHOSEN. Your words, Renee, spoke deep within my heart. Only God can fill my empty spaces. I love the verses you gave us at the end of your post. I will look at those often.
~Amy V.
I shared this devotion all 3 ways! So excited to be entered in this amazing giveaway! 🙂 Blessings!
The past two days have been filled with gift buying for teachers and co-workers, parties for kids classes, a friend coming in town and another brunch/Christmas party today for our P31 staff/volunteers. But in the midst of it all, I have been stopping by my blog reading your stories and praying through your comments – for you and those you have shared this with.
This post was one I wrote in the midnight and wee morning hours. And it took quite some time because there was so much I wanted to say but couldn't say it all. I kept praying and tweaking and writing. I finally pressed "post" at 3AM. So, when I read some of your notes about the timing and the words being so much what you needed to hear that day, I could have cried. Partly hormones, partly exhaustion but mostly because Jesus spoke to your heart through these humble hands that simply type what I hear in my heart for you. I am so blessed and encourage to be part of your life. Please pray God will keep giving me words you need to hear from HIM, words that speak His grace, truth and love into your life.
Love and Christmas blessings,
Renee
PS. See you Monday. I've got a great God=story to share and some fun jewelry to give=away!
Auch a wondeful reminder that out trust and hope must be in God and not man. Thank you. I sent it to my daughter.
Thank you for this word! Spoke directly to my heart. I'm struggling with the whole…"when is someone going to pick me" issue. God keeps telling me He is enough and has already picked me. Your message confirmed what God has been telling me.
I'll be sharing this with my co-workers at lunch today.
I sent the post to a couple friends, I shared on facebook, and I also sent todays devotion to a few ladies in my Sunday School class
I did all of the above!!
Reading this is such a blessing of affirmation! Thank you!!!
Thank you for the encouraging words and the pick me-up!Thanks for sharing!I have share all three and emailed to several friends.
I loved the short clip!! I posted it on FB to share!! Love it!
This sounds like a tremendous book. I needed this kind of book a few years ago, when my marriage exploded. I *knew* that I needed to turn to God. But I would have loved a book that said it clearly. The book that the minister handed me told me to submit to my husband regardless of what he had done. Looking forward to your book. Emailed this link to a couple friends who need to read it too.
Hi Renee,
I'm sharing this on my Facebook page. I think it's something that a lot of us deal with…letting God fill the empty places and not everything/everyone else. I can't wait to get the book and have already put a request in at our local library for them to bring it in.
Thank you and I may you and your family have a blessed Christmas!
Thank you for this message. As one who's never had the sports talents, or "the looks", or ultra-intelligent, I was never one of the first ones picked for any of the "reindeer games." Being the last one picked nor being picked at all is hard on one's heart, isn't it? I sent this out to wives whose husbands haven't been there for them, I put this out 2x on facebook. It's touched my heart today and I know it will touch others. Blessings on your sharing this pain and and your heart; mostly, thank you for sharing your Hope in Christ Who loves unconditionally!