Singled Out

I was singled out this past Sunday... in front of the entire church, during the sermon...

Everyone likes to be noticed, to matter, to make a difference, but being singled out is not always a good thing. It depends on why you are being singled out.

I was singled out awhile ago, but for a very different reason. I was singled out because I made some bad choices, and made some mistakes. It was my most forgettable moment, one that I regret, one that I will live with for the rest of my life.

My pastor told me yesterday that there will come a day when I will be glad that it is a part of my story. It won't always have the sting it carries with it now. Eventually it will settle into my history as a reminder of what God did through it. One day, he said, I will be thankful for it and will learn to embrace it. It's hard for me to imagine, but I guess it's possible.

The beauty in it all is that God loves me and accepts me, even in my most forgettable moments. He is for me no matter what.

My pastor spoke from Romans 8:31 this week where Paul says, "If God is for us, who can be against us". He pointed out that what Paul was saying is that, "Since God is for us, what does it matter who is against us?" We need to live with a confident conviction that God is for us - it is critical.

I was singled out this past Sunday... But it wasn't anything like it was before. This time, God spoke directly to me and validated me, affirmed me, loved on me - in front of the entire church. He spoke through my pastor as he said, "The desire of His heart, Cathy, is that you would hear him today to say, 'Cathy, you're my daughter. I love you. You please me.' And that you would believe it."

This is the heart of the Father. This is the endorsement of God Almighty. What does it matter if things don't always go the way I think they should? What does it matter who is against me?

I was singled out this past Sunday... and it was one of the most powerful, amazing, significant moments in my entire life.