You’re Never Too Far Gone

Maybe you’re reading this, and you feel so distant from God. Maybe you feel unworthy? Lost? Broken? Or just too far gone? Hanging on a thread, stuck in sin- thinking what you have done is too big for God. But Son, Daughter, “you are precious in my eyes and honoured and I love you”. “I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:4,1).

I can recall a prominent time in my life when I felt this the most. When I lost so much hope and just wanted to give up all together. When I would go from retreat after retreat, being in what some would call a ‘spiritual high’, only to then fall flat on my face a little after.  In fact, there were many times I have felt lost, broken, unworthy-you name it. Maybe you have gone through this, going through this or visit these feelings from time to time. Or maybe you feel as though you’ve never felt His love or don’t know Him at all. But God, your creator loves YOU and is waiting for you to return home.

Our Worth Is In Him 

So many times, we think we are not worthy enough for God. ‘How can a God so perfect, so Holy, want someone like me?’ ‘What could He possibly do with me?’ But you know what? He thought we were valuable enough to die for us. He died for us knowing what we would do, knowing how many times we would go astray or reject him. But no matter how many times we have given Him a reason to not love us, He still lovingly chases after us. God is not a Father who condemns but a Father who is accepting of who we are and so lovingly tells us to come as we are. He sees us as His child, precious and so worthy. Worthy not because of anything we have done, but who He is, a God of love, unconditional love.

You’re Not The Only One

Still not convinced?  The bible contains countless people who were thought as too far gone. Mary Magdalene- a prostitute, Paul- a persecutor of Christians, David- who committed adultery and murder, and many more others. But despite how far they had gone, despite what they had done, none of this stopped God from choosing them, nor loving them.  The people in the Bible were in no way perfect, nor did they become perfect after being called. They stumbled many times, just like you and I, but God still held onto them. Peter, even after being called, still rejected God. He denied Jesus not once but three times, yet God still chose him to be the rock of the church. If you think God chooses the perfect, then you are totally wrong. No matter what our past may look like, no matter what we may have done or still struggle with, God still chose us and chooses us every day.

Saints In the Making

One conversation I will always remember is one I had with a priest. He asked me quite a striking question which was, ‘why do you think saints are only called saints after they die?’. I’m gonna be honest, I had never actually thought about it before, but it was something I really needed to hear. The saints, although we may view them as holy, were not perfect during their life here on earth. This because the journey to sainthood is a process. We are so quick to judge ourselves in the process when really, we are not born saints but are saints in the making.

He also reminded me of the story of the carver and the little boy which I will attempt to re-tell: There was a carver who was once carving a huge rock. The little boy next door would always see him carving tirelessly. Months later, the carver had finally finished. When the little boy saw the finished work, he was amazed and asked the carver how he knew a lion was inside the rock. Of course, there was no lion, but the carver had carved a lion. He saw the potential in the rock and saw how he was able to make a lion out of it. In the same way, we are the rock, God is the carver and is carving and moulding us every day. He has not finished with us, we are still in the process and although we may not see the potential in us, God does, and He is not willing to give up.

So, to the person reading this who thinks they are too far gone, or that God does not love you or want you, there is nothing too big for Him. God still has His arms wide out for you. To the person who thinks they are good for nothing, God is the God who creates beauty from ashes. Ashes. (Isaiah 61:3). He is the same God who created the universe from nothing. You are certainly way more than nothing or ashes so imagine what more He could do with you. And to the person who thinks they have fallen so many times and that God has run out of second chances, or a billion chances, we, as humans, are going to trip up. We are not perfect; God knows that and still loves us.

His Mercies Never End

You see, God doesn’t look for perfect hearts, but willing hearts. No matter how many times we fall or will fall, His grace and mercies never end (Lamentations 3:23). All we must do is keep on returning back to him, no matter how many tries it takes, and understand that if God is willing to give us grace and forgiveness so freely, then we must also learn to forgive ourselves. And to the person who may not know who exactly God is, well maybe this is your time to find out- seek Him with all you heart and you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). God has been waiting for you, knows everything about you and is so madly in love with you.

If you feel discouraged, know that God has been relentlessly pursuing you from the moment of conception (Isaiah 49:1). He chose us, knowing what our lives would be like, how we would be like and how many times we would go against Him. So, rest, for nothing we can ever do can erase His decision. The way I see it is that God has a never-ending rope tied to our foot. No matter how far we think we have gone, we can always find our way back to Him. In fact, though we may go astray, God has never left our side. One thing to know about God is that He does not force Himself onto us. He is patient and will only work if you let Him. He’s constantly knocking on the door of our hearts, but the question is, will you answer?  Will you let Him in?

So, however far you may have run, however many times you may have fallen, it’s time to stop running. It’s time to stop hiding. For you are precious, you are valued, you are loved and certainly never too far gone.

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