Chosen

In the arms of my hubby xxxx Photo: Holly Wallace Photography

I have just started watching the latest season of Love Island UK (guilty pleasure). And if you haven’t seen the reality show the basic synopsis is this: A group of singles live in an isolated villa from the outside world. You watch them daily as their world is under constant surveillance (just like Big Brother). Their aim is to find their ideal match and through a series of games and eliminations, the objective is to:

1. Stay in the house

2. Find their happily ever after, and

3. Make it to the last week where the public then vote for their favourite couple and the winner takes home the cash.

I can’t even make it through the first episode and I feel a nudging on my spirit. My heart weirdly starts to ache for these strangers on the screen. Specifically, the women who all claim that they haven’t been able to find love up until this point.

I really start to see them. The emptiness in their eyes and their longing to be treasured and adored.

I want to scream at the screen as I watch these men (who all seem like little boys) have the power over them to break their confidence. Everything is done off face-value. They get to choose the woman they would like to be coupled up with based on their looks because at this stage they haven’t even spoken to each other.

It makes my heart so sad.

The Holy Spirit urges me to write this to his daughters:

He sees you. He sees the yearning where you are wanting to be loved, accepted and CHOSEN.

And He is telling me this:

Daughter, you have already been CHOSEN by me.

Rejection sucks

1 Peter 5:13 GNT

Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by the people as worthless but CHOSEN by God as valuable

There is something that hits close to home when I think about the word CHOSEN and all the antonyms associated with this word.

Here are a few: ignored, rejected, inferior, denied…

Welp... those are some pretty harsh, confronting words, right? I can’t help but think that for every one of us, we have at some point felt one of these words. Ignored by men, rejected job applications, the feeling of being inferior amongst peers and being denied because of outward appearance. The list goes on.

Growing up, I had a real complex when I was at Primary school. I’ve mentioned this before that I was one of a handful of island kids at my school and I was a GIANT. Like, literally would tower over so many of my friends. I felt inferior and at times felt like an outcast.

This complex followed me into the work place and even into relationships. I would always feel a sense of insecurity all because this seed had been planted at a young age. It well and truly festered in my adult life and was a weed targeting my confidence.

Primary school - that’s me second to last row, in the middle, with the overalls lol xxx

 I never felt worthy enough. Pretty enough. Good enough for the job.

Rejection well and truly sucks. And I know how this can have such an effect on one’s mind. How I overcame this mental battle was reminding myself how God truly sees me. It didn’t happen overnight, but I was delicately reminded time and time again.

Recently, I received a beautiful prophecy from a complete stranger. The message was hand written to one of my closest friends in the U.S while she was visiting Bethel church. The note talked about how the Lord calls me His Sweetness. And how this year, I will be encountering the sweetness of Him. He is constantly sending me invitations throughout the day!

It truly was another beautiful reminder of how God, so eagerly wants us all to have these meetings with Him. He knows our stories and the genetic makeup of our whole being. We are seen as so worthy in His own eyes. So much so that he even has the capacity to relate to us on a one on one level by calling us His Sweetness! And even more so that he has the ability to reach out to strangers to let us know just how much he values us.

Like the scripture states in 1 Peter, God will never see you as WORTHLESS. For you are CHOSEN by Him and you are VALUABLE.

From heartbreak to breakthrough

Psalm 4:3 GNT

Remember that the Lord has CHOSEN the righteous for his own, and he hears me when I call to him.

The enemy will do everything to compromise and impair vision. Ever been through a heart break and you feel like your world has turned upside down? There is an absolute aching in your heart. And you find yourself crying most days, away from your family so they don’t see your pain?

The enemy uses this kind of heartbreak to halt breakthrough. He will do everything to cloud perspective and cast shadows over all the paths you love.

These paths being: your dreams, your job, your family, your friends… and even yourself.

I remember when I was in a funk. It would have been right after my first real heartbreak and I became so bitter. This was all taken out on my parents and everything came with a side of attitude. It wasn’t until I started seeing my husband when my Mum urged me to put myself out there with him. She was gentle, kind and gave me the reassurance that I was still worthy to be loved. Even through all the anger – she loved me unconditionally and wanted the best for me. 

To this day, remembering my Mum in those moments makes me emotional while writing this. God spoke through my Mum and her approach with me was exactly how God intended. Maybe for you, He could be speaking through someone in your life. Or you could be the person speaking to someone who may need to hear His truth. If you are the one in pain, I pray God continues to open your eyes and ears to hear to His words. If you are the one consoling, continue to be patient with them.

That’s my Mum! Here we are at the launch of HER. She is always my biggest support, encourager & she is an absolute HERO of mine xxx

All it takes is for us to be open. And that means open to hearing what He has to say and open to letting Him into our hearts.

For you are CHOSEN when you call out to Him. He is already listening and waiting for you to do so.

Finding love and being loved correctly

1 Thessalonians 1:4 GNT

Our friends, we know that God loves you and has CHOSEN you to be his own

Experiencing the love of our Father is like something like you will never experience. God has already CHOSEN YOU as one of His own! He fills all the empty parts of your heart and through him you will feel ultimate wholeness – with or without a special someone in your life.

I mean it when I say all your heartbreak will be worth it in the end. He will never leave you hanging. Once you realise you are one of His, the domino effect of eternal manifestations will keep rolling. And finding that someone will just be the cherry on top.

I can admit, I am still human and insecurity creeps in at times. However, I always remember how worthy I am seen in God’s eyes. He hand-picked someone for me. Who see’s me as Worthy and a daughter of the King. There is a standard and expectation on how to love me but you will have to wait for when I speak more about my journey with my husband in another blog.

When you realise the love you deserve, it will be reciprocated. Be patient for His timing! Your heartache, your heart’s desire for a companion, your next move in your career, your insecurity….  

 His love will trump it all.

You are His. You are CHOSEN xxxx

Gentle take-aways:

1.     You have already been CHOSEN by God

2.     You are not WORTHLESS, God sees you as VALUABLE

3.     Call out to Him in times of heartbreak and despair

4.     His LOVES surpasses all

You are CHOSEN and KNOWN by God. Listen to this song below. Hear the lyrics - God is speaking to you! I encourage you to take a moment to encounter his love in prayer and meditation.