"When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you..."

Isaiah 43:1-7



The Message (MSG)


Isaiah 43


1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,


the One who got you started, Israel:


"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.


I've called your name. You're mine.


When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.


When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.


When you're between a rock and a hard place,


it won't be a dead end—


Because I am God, your personal God,


The Holy of Israel, your Savior.


I paid a huge price for you:


all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!


That's how much you mean to me!


That's how much I love you!


I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,


trade the creation just for you.


5-7"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.


I'll round up all your scattered children,


pull them in from east and west.


I'll send orders north and south:


'Send them back.


Return my sons from distant lands,


my daughters from faraway places.


I want them back, every last one who bears my name,


every man, woman, and child


Whom I created for my glory,


yes, personally formed and made each one.'"

people

recently, i have been thinking a lot about people. all the people in my life with their different make-ups, ambitions, purposes, loves, passions, needs, wants, desires, relationships, views on life. i feel like i am made up of all of these people, all that they are in my life, all that they do to my heart. i have such a hard time wrapping my mind around who God is, and i know the more days that i walk with Him, the closer i am to knowing exactly who He is. But i forget that we are made in His image. people are literally a small glimpse into the beauty of the Lord. people are beautiful. when i take a moment to actually look at the hearts of people, all of them, i am astounded. even the people i could never see myself being friends with or even liking at all, i find that if i give them the time of day, there is so much beauty to be found.
this is really a reminder to myself, i mean, how often do we as human beings pass by our fellow humans without even thinking anything more than the oh-so-common thought about ourselves? or the even more common judgmental thought, assuming that we know exactly who people are. i walk by the same people everyday in the hallways of my school, and i bet that if i gave one or two of them some time, found out about who they are, i would see beauty.
when i stop judging and start loving, i see beauty.
God has called us to love. God has called us to see the beauty in His people.