Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes (Ephesians 1:4).

I remember my grandpa Mike telling me a story about his first encounter with God, a story he also writes about in his amazing book, “70 Golden Threads of Grace” by Mike Stevens. He was twelve years old and was attending a small church in the countryside of North Wales when he first heard the words of the famous hymn:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

Grandpa Mike said that at the time he heard the song, he couldn’t fully identify what he experienced, but something had touched his heart. He said he now looks back on that time in awe of God’s choosing of him. At nearly eighty years old, he still gets teary-eyed over this experience.

It reminds him that everything in his life has resulted from God’s gracious love.

We all have much to learn from those who have lived longer than we have, and the fact that my grandpa’s experience when he was only twelve years old can still bring tears to his eyes reminds me of how special we are to God.

No matter what age we are or who we are, God created us to live out our own individual lives.

He created us and he loves us, which we can forever be in awe of. Even before God created the earth, he had us specifically in mind. This is something our human minds can hardly comprehend.

God loves us so much and chose us to be here on earth, specifically at this time. Take a moment to let that soak in: before the creation of the earth, God had you on his mind, and he chose you.

If you’re ever having a blah day, remember this, and it will remind you of the importance of your life. Know that God loves you and chose you for this time for a very special reason.

Are you feeling down today? Feeling unloved?

Pray this prayer to remind you of who you are and who created and loves you:

Dear God, Thank you for creating me and choosing me for this specific time on earth. I’m so amazed! Please help me to continue to experience your love and presence in powerful ways. I pray that others will experience your love and presence too. Amen.

*For further reflection, listen to Ephesians 1 today.

Taken from THE SUNSHINE MIND by TANYA RAD & RAQUELLE STEVENS. Copyright @ JANUARY 31, 2022 BY TANYA RAD & RAQUELLE STEVENS. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.

To learn more of Raquelle’s Journey of Faith, watch her interview with Jenny Steinbach and click here!