Turning the Page

Today we are turning another page in the story of grace. And while I am working on a new blogging rhythm, I wanted to share with you what has been on my heart. I spent some time in prayer seeking the Lord for the direction of this blog because I know it is either just a good thing or it is a God thing.

This month is the beginning of a holiday season when we practice gratitude and focus on the gift of Jesus. And the thing that stands out to me as we go into the season is how many of us may be feeling like we’re just not sure of our worth.

Maybe we’re feeling a little less than deserving of any of the good things we’ve grown to expect from the holidays, even love and acceptance. Or maybe we are wondering if we have anything of value to give. Some of us may be in the midst of trials that have us questioning whether our efforts are even worth it.

This morning I was reading in the Bible from 1 John and got hooked on this:

See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 JOHN 3:1 AMP

It is God’s love that gives us a new name: child of God. We are called by that name, and by the Name that calls us to serve one another: Jesus. We are counted among the children of God: saved by grace. As believers, we may be feeling the gravity of this world and the cost of following Christ, being misunderstood for our faith, just as Jesus was.

As children of God we are all part of his story. And the narrative of grace that was being written into history since the exile from the garden to the empty tomb is our story too. In him we are named. In him we are called. In him we are counted. In him we are loved.