Wanted

I watched a little girl on the school playground playing tag on the slide with a group of kids, curls bouncing, cheeks flushed, screaming and laughing at the same time. She made her way down the slide, jumping over the side to avoid being tagged by her pursuer. With great anticipation on her face, she turned around to see where he went, only to see that he had decided to chase another little girl. I watched as her face changed from anticipation, to confusion as she couldn't see him, to sadness as she left the group when she realized she was no longer the object of his attention. My heart broke for her, wishing I could hold her and tell her how beautiful and precious she is in the Lord's eyes.

I sat with a young mom once, tears streaming down her face, as she told me that her husband no longer finds her desirable. He has chosen companionship through the internet and photos of young girls. He is addicted to porn. She said that she knows she is no Miss America but she's not that bad. My heart broke for her as I told her how beautiful she is in the eyes of Christ, that she is prized above all others because she knows her Lord and Savior. I told her to remember that He is her portion, that He is her Rock, that He is her Shelter. She is the apple of His eye.

I was a young girl once, so lonely and unsure of her value, that I took what the neighborhood child molester had to offer. I settled for things I didn't understand but wished I didn't know about as a substitute for what I really craved...to be noticed,to feel loved. I did not know that I was the apple of the Lord's eye, that I was precious and beautiful in His sight. God's heart broke for that little girl, but knew at the same time that she would find Him someday.

The common thread in these lives is that we all want to feel special, to be pursued, to be loved and cherished. To know that when we look at someone with love, they are looking back at us. Only us. Sisters, I want you to know that this is the way the Lord loves you. He stands at the door and knocks, but only you can open it. He will never stop pursuing you, and when you open the door, He will fill you with a love and a peace that surpasses all understanding, and you will know in an instant that you will never be the same again.