the privilege of being set apart...

Deuteronomy 7: 6 For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. 7 “The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! 8 Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 9 Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.

do we really realize how special we are to God? that we belong to Him... sometimes I get caught up in the desire to belong... belong to someone.. belong in a place.. just to be accepted... I have really not been accepted by most people since I was born.. I never was one of the people that everyone liked.. I wasn't disliked.. I was just different.. so rather than embrace being different.. I tried to conform.. to get in trouble.. to draw attention... yet no matter what I have done to make me like everyone else.. I have still been different...

yesterday someone said to me that I really have no idea how extraordinary I am... and I am thinking.. ???????.. I am just regular.. what do you mean?? she said look at you... really look at yourself.. the way you think.. the way you act.. the things that you do.. nothing about you is ordinary... you are clearly very different than anyone else... somehow she thought this was a compliment.. yet it brought up all those past insecurities..had me thinking that I can never be accepted or loved or belong because I am so different than anyone else... still.. after all these years of trying to be the same...

and Jesus says... I am separate.. I am chosen to be His own special treasure.. not because of me being great.. just because he loves me.. with an unfailing love...

maybe I will never be accepted.. maybe no one will ever want me... but Jesus does... and that is better than any human anyways...