The Only Way Forward Is Back by Jackson TerKeurstSample

FOREVER FAMILY

My parents did an incredible job at reassuring my brother and me that we could trade our suspicion of scarcity for assurance of abundance. I remember my mom repeating over and over:

“You are loved.”

“You are safe.”

“You don’t have a return policy.”

“We are forever a family now.”

“You are my sons.”

“There is no separation here.”

“You’re not going to be ripped from me.”

Eventually the truth began to sink in. I was a son. An actual son, in an actual family.

And I was loved.

Imagine now Jesus saying this to you, a parent to a dearly beloved child. He gently grabs you by the shoulders, looks you in the eyes, and speaks over you:

“You are loved.”

“You are safe.”

“You don’t have a return policy.”

“We are forever a family now.”

“You are my child.”

“There is no separation here.”

“You’re not going to be ripped from me.”

Hear Him proclaiming this boldly and truthfully over and over again until you begin to believe it to your core.

Take a short glimpse at your past and realize that Jesus has always been proving these statements to you. In the book of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul writes, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny himself” (2:13). Even when we’ve doubted God’s presence, wandered away from Him, or totally disbelieved and doubted, He has never faulted on who He is as a good Father. We may have allowed our circumstances to shape how we see God and ourselves, but He has never left our side, bailed, skimped on providing for us, or abandoned us. He never has and never will.

Romans 8:39 tells us, “I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let that truth sink in. And then take a deep breath. Because you are safe now.

Father, You call me Your child. In moments of doubt, when I feel alone or unworthy, remind me that nothing can separate me from You. I am safe in Your arms. I am loved beyond measure. Amen.