You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  I John 4:4

          “No matter how God blessed me, it seemed as if I were living out a consolation- prize life. It seemed there were no beginnings left for me, only endings,” wrote John Greco in “In Touch” Magazine. His world crumbled when, without warning, his wife abruptly told him she would be filing for a divorce.

He was crushed and devastated and, because marriage seemed such an important part of the Christian life, the thought left him feeling like a second-class Christian.

     He says, “In my mind, the implication in Scripture is that marriage represents Christ and the church, so wonderful blessings are contained within marriage that are unlike any other. Single and divorced people need not apply. As many single people do, I thought perhaps I was missing out on something special….worse, I was divorced!”

     This is so hard—whether you feel like you missed the line where they were handing out the “package” of love, marriage and family---or whether you got in line, got the package, and then blew it. Either way, where does this leave you? Maybe the best place to stand would be at the foot of the cross and remember God loves you and is for you.

     Nothing has the power to sabotage His plans—neither the breakup of a marriage, nor any other hardship, heartache, or horror we may walk through. God uses everything in life, every circumstance, and every relationship to make us more like Jesus, whether we’re married, single, or divorced.

     Green writes, “In the months following the end of my marriage, my identity was shaken at every level. I was no longer a husband, a son-in-law, etc. But when those layers of my self were peeled away by divorce, I was left with the only identity that mattered: my life in Christ, a man loved by the eternal King.

     The love of God remains, no matter what comes our way. It is during difficult seasons that we must cling to our identity in Jesus most tightly. Doing so has the power to disarm insecurity and doubt. Because of God’s amazing love, each of us is offered a new beginning.    

*What aspect(s) of your life feels “unredeemed,”--like it is untouched by God’s favor?

Dear Father, Thank You for the cross, for defeating sin and death, so You could come and rescue me. Help me put the past behind me, because You’ve already put it behind You. I embrace, by faith, the freedom and abundant life You have secured for me. Because of Jesus I pray, Amen.



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