Chosen

Day 2

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT)

              Over the years, I’ve had many friends who were adopted. They were chosen at birth by parents who were unable to have biological children of their own. Desperate to give these special kids a home, these parents waited, often for years, to have the opportunity to adopt a baby. As these friends grew older, curiosity often developed, and these kids wanted to learn who their birth parents were.

              Some of my friends hunted them down when they turned eighteen, learned why they had been given up for adoption, and were even more thankful for their adoptive parents. But to a rare few, they met their birth parents who were no longer in terrible places in life and had the opportunity to be chosen twice. Loved and chosen by their adoptive parents and then by their birth parents.

              There’s something about being wanted. I remember standing in a group of classmates when the captains were choosing kickball teams. Everyone waited, hoping not to be overlooked and picked last. No one wanted to be the last one.

              The same goes for us. As educators, we do not want to be overlooked or left out. We want our hard work and effort to be seen, noticed, and acknowledged. Our hearts and souls go into our lessons, activities, grades, and teaching. We want to be known. Seen. And chosen.

              Our students are the same. So many of our kids live in homes that aren’t safe. Parents are unavailable. Kids are responsible for their own meals. Adults are busy doing their “important” things. Children often go unheard and unseen. Screens are raising so much of this generation. Interaction comes through games with people they’ve never met in real life. If kids do engage with parents, many times they are yelled at, mistreated, and rejected by the very ones who are supposed to want, love, and respect them.

              Many adults, including myself, struggle with the fear of rejection. And I’ll boldly say that many of us adults struggle with rejection because of things that happened to us in childhood.

              According to Ephesians, God chose us before the world was created. He set his plan in motion for Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection way back then. He chose us. Each of us. The adults. And our students. On purpose. We have all been picked first for his heavenly team.

Do the Heart Work

1.      Have you ever struggled with rejection? When and why?

2.      What happens when we are so afraid of being rejected that we can’t focus on the task at hand?

3.      We are chosen. That is a part of the believer’s identity. How do you exchange the feelings of rejection and replace them with the security of being chosen by God?

Digging Deeper

Read these verses and think about what it means to be chosen by God.

1.      All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. John 6:37 (ESV) 

2.      For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 

3.      The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) 

4.      But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:4-5 (ESV)

5.      You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16 (ESV)

God chose us. He wants a relationship with us. He gave us a position in his kingdom. Do we live like we are sons and daughters of the king? Chosen? Handpicked? Cherished? Loved? What stands in the way of claiming this piece of our identity in Christ?

If You Get Spare Time 

              Sometimes I forget that the adults I work with are just grown-up little kids like me. We still have the fear of rejection hiding under the surface and often respond from a place of defense instead of genuine openness. We don’t want to get hurt. Rejected. Looked over. Or left out. Take a few minutes and think about the interactions you’ve had with coworkers. What if they are just like you? Afraid of rejection. Failure. All the things. Ask God to open your eyes to see past the words and see the hearts of your coworkers. Pray for opportunities to speak life into these people and remind them of their value.