“I have chosen you and have not rejected you.”
Isaiah 41:9

Instead of looking to Google, look to the Word. Instead of seeking a search engine, seek the Holy Spirit. I was reading and had this urge to write about how we are not mistakes. We are not what the world tells us, but we are who God says we are. We need to be reminded of who God says we are, not what our past defines us as. Not what we once were, but who we are in Christ now. We aren’t what the evil one tries to whisper at us, but we are who God calls us. I then started thinking, “well what is it that God calls us? Who does God say we are?” I almost opened up Google, but then reached for my Bible. I opened up to a random page and a notecard with a verse written on it fell out. The verse said “I have chosen you and have not rejected you.” Isaiah 41:9 And just like that, God answered my question. God reminds us that we are chosen, not rejected. We are not what the world tells us, we are who God says we are, chosen.

So what does it mean to be chosen? In God choosing us, that means he has picked us. God has picked us to live the life we are living. Do not let the regrets from your past, the current negative thoughts that invade you, dictate the person God chose you to be. In being chosen, that means we are forgiven, loved, fearfully and wonderfully made, redeemed, predestined, accepted and found. You no longer are sheep without a shepherd, we have the good shepherd leading the way, guiding us to who we were made to be, but we must follow Him. Just like the Good Shepherd Jesus is, He will find us when we are lost. This makes me think of the Samaritan woman at the well. By society standards at the time, this Samaritan woman was rejected, an outcast from society. Not only was she Samaritan (Jewish people did not associate with Samaritans and had a long history of conflict between each other and were seen as outcasts in society), but she was also a woman (women were generally disregarded during this time and of very low status). During this time, women would typically go to the wells together to draw water, as a social occasion, but this specific Samaritan woman was alone. We can assume that she was rejected by her society in her drawing water alone. So Jesus sits and decides to wait for the rejected woman at the well.

Rather than Jesus letting this moment pass him by, Jesus sought out this woman and waited for her. Jesus waited for the Samaritan woman so that he could open her eyes to the good news. Like the Samaritan woman, Jesus is seeking you and waiting for you. While you might feel God is far from you, remember that He has already found you and is waiting, but we must seek him back. Jesus chose this Samaritan woman, he chose and did not reject her. He revealed to her that he knew things about her that no one else knew and that He was the long awaited Messiah. Jesus could have chosen anyone to share the news with, He could have picked a pharisee (someone of high and respected status in society) to preach this all over, but instead chose the woman at the well. Jesus chooses us, he chooses us to live our lives and we each have a story. God chooses us and wants us to share our stories so we can bring others to Christ. God doesn’t make mistakes and you are not a mistake. After the woman encountered Jesus and He revealed that he was Messiah, she ran out into the town to share everything she had learned. From this “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” John 4:39

God gives us a story, so we can share that story, and from sharing that story, help lead others to eternal life through Jesus Christ. While you may feel rejected for past decisions you made, rejected by “societal norms”, remember to whose kingdom you belong. Remember who has chosen you from the beginning. Remember that this life is temporal, but eternity is forever, and the one who we will be with forever in eternity has chosen you and not rejected you. Your story may be another person’s step towards their own testimony. Divorced? Share it. Single and struggling with an addiction? Share it. Drowned in anxiety, but God led you out of it? Share it. Imagine Jesus sitting at that well, awaiting you, seeking you, and ready to share who He is, so that you can share the good news of who He is.