These last few months of my life have had this undeniably common thread running right through them. This season of life I’m referring to began with a young lady we’ve known for a handful of years contacting my wife. Her concern and plea went something like this:
“Not many people know that I’m pregnant again and five months along now. The father of the baby doesn’t want her or want me to have her. When I told him I wanted the baby, he left and cut off all contact with me. Can you please help me with necessities for my baby? I really want her.”
That night I lay in bed and thought about this young lady and her situation. I also thought about how many young people are in situations similar to hers without any hope, help, or anyone to confide in. How many children among us are entering this world not being wanted by one parent or both. This tiny and helpless baby girl is one of them, beginning her life in the negative, not being wanted or loved by her father, with her mother also feeling the tremendous sting of rejection and loneliness. If this doesn’t move my heart or yours toward a little more compassion and empathy, I don’t think anything will.
The Bible also has a common thread running through it because God always has a plan of His own. In nearly every book of the Bible, God mentions in some form how He Himself loves and wants the people who are rejected by family, society, and even popular church culture. He has a large and special place in His heart for the lonely, the fatherless, the orphan, the widow, and the impoverished. He runs toward those whom the majority push aside. The people groups who aren’t held in high esteem, He intentionally seeks after. The uninvited and unwelcome, He sets a place at His table for. Jesus welcomes the unwanted close to His side, including those whose parent or parents wished that they weren’t born.
Well before he was known as the mighty and revered king of Israel, he was the youngest son of Jesse, with seven older brothers. David was the one looked past, rejected by his own family, and considered the “runt of the litter.” He was considered the least likely to become anything worthwhile in the world’s eyes. Yet in God’s eyes, he was His prized possession and first choice.
In 1 Samuel 16, God sends one of His servants to anoint, or separate for a specific service, the future king of Israel. God prompts the prophet Samuel to the home of Jesse because one of his sons is God’s choice. When Samuel arrives and announces his reason for visiting to Jesse, Jesse of course brings out his oldest and strongest sons, the trophies of the family. The warrior-like, well-built, and tall in stature sons are brought out first. Samuel, though, overlooks David’s seven older, more physically imposing brothers and asks Jesse if there is another son. There is, but he is a frail-looking teenager who is outside performing the most menial task of tending to the family’s herd of sheep. The family feels that it certainly couldn’t be him that God was setting apart for such a mighty position. We now know him as David, the great king, psalmist, warrior, and a man after God’s own heart.
My friend, God doesn’t see or perceive things the way we do. As a matter of fact, He oftentimes looks at things in the opposite manner. Maybe your life has been unfairly marked by rejection and loneliness. You know what it’s like to live life as the overlooked underdog, unwanted by those you love, the “black sheep” of your family, purposely planned around and uninvited. But like I said earlier, God has a plan of His own.
There’s plenty of room near the side and in the heart of Jesus for you. Maybe that’s why I felt strongly prompted to write this specific thought this week—just for you, and for her too. Despite her dad not wanting this baby girl, she was born healthy, with everything she needed and more. She is loved by her mom, by neighbors like us, and most importantly, loved and chosen by her Creator with a purpose.
