The ABCs: Abandoned, Broken, Chosen
A Devotional by Ceola J.
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."
This is, by far, one of the shortest devotionals I've written — and yet I believe it may be one of the most impactful. Sometimes the Father does not need many words to do mighty work. He just needs the right ones.
This week, I want to talk with you about the ABCs: abandonment, brokenness, and chosen. As a child, losing my mother at a very young age, and not meeting my father for the first time until one month after my mother's passing, having never seen or been in touch with him prior, gave way to feelings of abandonment, and left many questions as to why. Why did I have to lose my mother? Why did she die so young, abandoning my sibling and me? Why did I not have my father throughout my childhood? These questions were the framework that would lead to feelings of being broken. A broken heart, a broken spirit, and a broken identity, all of which led to my self-worth, self-esteem, and self-image being broken.
Ah, but the game-changer was in discovering I was chosen. And even more beautiful was realizing it had nothing to do with my being special or better than anyone else. It had everything to do with Father God's purpose, will, and perfect strategy for His Kingdom. I, like you, have been chosen to come into the earth realm. Chosen to be born under the parents we were, regardless of who or how they were. The fact still remains that we're here for a specific reason and a specific purpose yet to be discovered. That discovery is revealed through process, by faith, in trust. And none of us can evade the fact that the process is necessary for His promises in our lives to be fulfilled.
I know this reference is made more than it should be, and in cases that are not relatable, but in this instance, maybe it is. You and I, much like Hadassah, now Esther, were chosen for such a time as this. Sometimes we may never know the why behind something, but when you understand that Father God is the ultimate strategist and always has a plan, you realize that He does not make mistakes, and that neither you nor I were mistakes. We were chosen to enter the earth realm for a purpose far bigger than ourselves.
So, when the enemy tries to convince you that you were abandoned, remind him you were chosen. When he tries to tell you you're broken, remind him you're chosen. And when self-doubt tries to creep in, look yourself in the mirror and remind yourself, you are chosen!
- Esther 4:14 "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"
- Psalm 27:10 "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me."
- Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
- Ephesians 1:4–5 "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will."
- 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
Father God, thank You for choosing me. Thank You that before I ever drew my first breath, before the circumstances of my birth, before the losses, the absences, and the questions that had no answers — You had already written my name into Your perfect plan. Forgive me for the seasons I believed the lie that I was abandoned, broken, or forgotten. Forgive me for measuring my worth by those who could not stay, rather than by the Father who would never leave.
Father God, where there has been abandonment, remind me I was chosen. Where there has been brokenness, remind me I was chosen. Where there has been self-doubt, self-rejection, or a wounded identity, remind me I was chosen, and not because of anything I have done, but because of who You are and the purpose You ordained for me before the foundation of the world.
I ask you, Father, to heal every place in me where pain still exists from what I lost or never had. I ask that you restore my heart, my spirit, and my identity in You. And, let my self-worth, my self-esteem, and my self-image be rebuilt on the truth of Your Word and the testimony of Your faithfulness. And Father God, give me the courage to walk out the purpose You have chosen for me through the process, by faith and in trust, knowing this truth: You do not make mistakes, and I am not one.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Be blessed!
Prophetess Ceola J.