I Am a child of God!

By Joyce Pelletier
John 1:10-13
‘He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.  Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.’
            There is so much in this reading. God created us purposefully. The most important focus is when we come to realize is that we are children of God. When we recognize that we are chosen by Father-God, what does that really mean?
             Jesus is the most important person in my life. It took me many years and life experiences to accept that for myself. Somehow in the past few years, my heart has healed from growing up in sadness and pain from parents who really didn’t know what love was or how to express it. Like so many of us they were victims of not knowing how to love. Sometimes we fail, but the Father is there to lift us up again.
           We grew up poor but didn’t know it. Going to church was a must do on Sunday mornings. My brother and I were there every Sunday. We heard the Gospels and other readings. However, I rarely got anything out of going to a traditional church. However, it always piqued my interest listening to the Gospels. Something in me knew they were important, but I had no clue why. I remember hearing about Jesus, but that’s as far as it went.  I went to catechism on Saturdays, but that’s all I remember. There was not much encouragement of developing a personal relationship with Jesus. It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I heard the truth from a friend. She shared Jesus with me. My life has never been the same since. Mom and Dad rarely went to church, let alone about Jesus.
            There was a lot of confusion and pain from growing up in the 40’s. This past year, as I reread my mom’s journal it opened so many new doors and it was a real eye-opener to me to read that she loved Jesus. She didn’t know how to show it. She was not mean or unfeeling, she just missed out on the closeness that could have been in her life. Her life experiences were very difficult.
            Reading through Mom’s words brought me peace and understanding that I missed along the way. God was showing me who Mom really tried to be. Now my memories swing towards the good she tried to live.
My first Bible Study was with a group of women from our neighborhood. As we studied the Gospel of John, my heart was open to receive whatever God wanted me to have.
             I never understood why a man had to die on the cross. No one explained that to me. It was when I accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, that on the long road of not knowing, became a journey of an amazing awareness of who Jesus is. Through the study of John, I learned what having a personal relationship was supposed to be. Jesus gets down and personal with us. The concept of being an adopted daughter (child of God) is where I want to be the rest of my life. Even when I fail, God doesn’t abandon me. He gets me and is always ready to forgive my sins. I understand more why Jesus He so willingly went to the cross so we can receive the promise of Eternity.
            Every time the worship team leads any song that mentions being a child of God, the conviction of this truth opens my eyes wider and wider to the joy that comes with knowing who I am in Jesus. The reality of being a child of God is very real and has made tremendous difference in how I handle things that sometimes are hard to deal with. Maybe that is also true for you. I hope that you come to know that the Father never has left your side and He’ll never stop fighting for us. Psalm 139 has become a good friend to me.
            I tend to keep overly busy most days, sometimes I put more pressure on myself. That same friend who shared Jesus with me and I were texting recently. She asked me  how do I keep my schedule so active. My response was…
                                                                  First – Keep my focus on Jesus and
                                                                  Second – One thing at a time.
                                                                  And third remembering – I am a child of God, I am never alone!

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