There was a little 6 year old girl who so eagerly had started the first grade. Her brother had left for school the previous year, so she was extremely excited to be going finally. She was rather advanced over many of the other children in that she had already been reading about two years. Being very sensitive to an overwhelming desire to please, she worked very hard to be liked by the teacher and the other children. There was a little boy in her class that was much slower and just didn’t seem to understand the rules always; hence, he got into trouble and was spanked at least one or two times per week. (Teachers did spank back then.) This little six year old felt deep pain each time this would happen and wanted to cry out, "Please don’t spank him, he doesn’t understand." She was overweight and had a speech impediment. Often the other children would make fun of her; but she wanted to be liked. There was a little boy whose desk was one row ahead to the left of hers who was very popular. One day she noted that he had colored in his desk and she thought it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, so she colored inside her desk. She never even realized that it was wrong to do that. The teacher came and her voice sent waves of shame, guilt and fear into the heart of this little child. The little girl was spanked and stayed in from recess to clean her desk. What was worse was that the little girl could never look the teacher in the eye again for that entire year. Shame, guilt for having been punished lived deep within the heart of that child for several years to come; she felt a failure for having not understood. Even worse she felt she had failed God somehow and that He wouldn’t love her anymore. When great things came, she sometimes feared that it couldn’t last and that perhaps she wouldn’t be good enough for it to last. It was as though a beautiful sculptured porcelain statue had been handed her and if she held it too loosely or too tightly, it might shatter.
This entire series is about who we are in Christ. I must say none of you could have been more impacted by it than I. You see, that little six year old was me and those feelings of failure, those fears of breaking that porcelain statue, and that incessant feeling that I will never be worthy of Christ’s love or the gifts He sends my way is a battle I must fight everyday of my life. We must stand up and battle for the joy that we have in Christ. This past week has been filled with shattering pain as I stood accused by some I trusted, respected and honored of wrongs I had not even known were wrong; yet, God in His mercy and grace sent so many wondrous gifts this week. Yesterday, I received the most incredible gift and that outshone any dark cloud that I could have experienced. Suddenly, I realized that everything I had ever dreamed of was coming true and that God was pouring out His Greatest treasure of love upon me. You would think that immediately I would stand on the truths I have been teaching you about living in Christ; yet, I must say this morning I once more felt like that little girl holding something so precious in her hand, trembling with excitement and afraid she might break it or drop it. She knew she wasn’t worthy of such a precious gift.
So I must tell you, dear Child of God; there will come trials, fears, and doubts for as long as we live on this earth. The difference is how long do they grip our hearts before we stand up with our fist lifted high or bowed before His throne proclaiming the truth again that "I am God’s Blessed, Beloved, Chosen Child–not because of anything that I have done to deserve it; but, rather because the Creator of the Universe Loves me"
Romans 8: "37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Not even me.
The following is a song I wrote several years ago, I hope it helps to strengthen you. We must next move to how do we implement all the truths we have learned in this series: but I needed to stop and tell you about His Unconditional love.