“But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” -1 Peter 2:9
I am God’s special possession. He called me out of darkness into His wonderful light.
I’ll be honest with you, reading this Bible verse moves parts in my heart that, honestly, I am not as comfortable with. These are parts where it is hard for me to believe that I am God’s special possession and that He called me out of darkness. “What is so special about me anyway?” I think. Forgetting that is less about me and more about God being the faithful and loving God that He is.
Have you ever heard something and thought “This sounds too good to be true”? Well, I’ve thought that while reading this verse, which makes no sense because it is the word of God and He doesn’t lie. So why is it so hard to believe this truth? Why can it be so hard to believe that we are God’s special possession and that He has called each of us out of darkness into His wonderful light?
Yes, life can be cruel, dark, and painful. It can destroy us and bring to light the misery in us. But if we only reduce life to the negative parts of it, we wouldn’t be doing it justice. The truth is that life is way more than that and we were called to more than being slaves of our sins and victims of our past. God has opened the door in our lives to live the sacramentality and beauty of everything that has been given to us already: nature, art, humor, LOVE… life itself. A life with God is a life with meaning, hope, and purpose. It is not an easy life, don’t get me wrong – totally the opposite, it is a life where we are called to deny ourselves and carry our cross day after day.
“Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” -Luke 9:23
Most of us can live a life on autopilot. A life where we excuse ourselves with our past. A life where we stay in the dark and live in isolation maybe because it is more comfortable… and maybe because it is all we have known. Yes, people can be cruel and we can get deeply hurt in the way, and yes, there is real pain and real trauma that needs to be brought to life, healed, and surrendered. But this is precisely why I want to invite you to see yourself as who you truly are: God’s special possession… YOU ARE HIS. He has called you and keeps calling you into his wonderful light because He doesn’t want you to live in darkness, to live in pain, to carry everything on your own, to provide for yourself. He has given himself totally for you. He loves you deeply and there is nothing in this world that can change God’s love for you… NOTHING. I know that it is so easy to remain where we are because maybe we don’t even believe that there is something better in store for us, but there is a life ahead of us; a life out of the darkness, a life full of purpose and hope.
The truth is that we have been called by God to something higher. This is why nothing in this world will ever satisfy us… because we were made for an eternity with God. Only He can fill the infinite thirst within us.
You are not lost, you are seen.
You are not lost, you are known.
You are not lost, you are pursued.
You are not lost, you are called.
You are not lost, you belong to a loving Father.
You are not lost, let God take care of you. Turn your sight back to Him.
God has called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light because you are his special possession. This is the truth.
