Our friend, Ms. Pat, created a small custom quilt for Together Ministry Center, with squares for each child to put a personalized ‘thumbprint person.’ The children decorated their thumbprint self-portraits and autographed their squares. This quilt is a beautiful reminder of each child’s sacred worth.
John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” What a contrast: dark vs. light, death vs. life! We are often reminded of that reality as we go out to serve. At an early age, children start to believe they are unlovely, unworthy, or incapable. The thief begins to steal their identity before they are old enough to grasp that they are created by a loving God for purposes which are holy, beautiful, and uniquely personal. How grateful we are for opportunities each week to affirm the truth about their lives!
Many adults have lost their identity, too, and they are perhaps even more desperate to know the truth. Recently a young mother came out to our car for food; she had an obvious scratch on her throat, as well as a black eye and bruised cheek. She is in an abusive relationship. When I asked her if she was okay, she said she was planning to leave her boyfriend because her children “deserve better.” I gently said, “Not just your children. YOU are worth more than you know!” Her tired, teary eyes told me she wanted to believe… but was not at all convinced. Our hearts break to see such brokenness! Men, women, and children are created in God’s image, yet many are totally lost from that reality.
So our work in relationship, hope, and help continues. We engage in a battle for the precious God-given identity of the individuals the Lord brings to us. And we trust not our own abilities, but the Lord’s love and faithfulness.
It has been said (I regret I can’t find the original source), “The devil knows your name, but calls you by your sin. God knows your sin, but calls you by your name.” My identity is in Christ Jesus! If God is for me, who can be against me? He both knows me and calls me by my name!
“…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Isaiah 43:1