“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)
I remember sitting in my car in the gym parking lot, listening to that voicemail for the hundredth time. I had been waiting for this call for months—months of hoping, wondering, and honestly, doubting if it would ever come. I couldn’t quite believe it. What-ifs crowded my thinking, second-guessing every part of the message. My heart trembled, but the message was clear: my husband and I had been chosen to adopt a baby boy. And just like that, our world flipped upside down.
Today I still struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that someone chose me for this incredible, life-changing gift.
Growing up, rejection shaped my world. My parents loved me but couldn’t take care of me. I spent much of my childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home, always feeling like something was missing. I didn’t know where I belonged or if anyone would ever choose me. By the time I turned 18, I was was old enough to age out of the foster system. Those difficult years instilled within me a deep belief that I was unworthy and unwanted.
Even though I gave my life to Christ while in the foster system, the idea of family still felt foreign. “Family” to me meant stability—forever. Yet nothing in my life had ever felt permanent enough to assure me I belonged. Would I ever be part of something lasting?
Then, as an adult, came the possibility of adopting my own child.
The adoption process forced me to confront all the old fears and deeply-buried doubts. Would birth parents and officials see my past and my pain and think I wasn’t worthy to adopt? Could I really be accepted, despite everything I’d been through? Why would anyone, especially God, choose someone like me for something as beautiful as adoption?
I remember the moment clarity came: “Why adopt?” suddenly turned into, “Why not adopt?” God reminded me of a simple, yet powerful truth: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8).
I spent so many years believing there was nothing in me worth loving. But God didn’t care about what I had or hadn’t done. He didn’t focus on my failures, past mistakes, or brokenness. He loved me deeply, just as I was. God’s love is based on what He had already done for me on the cross, not something I earned.
What did He do?
He saved us. And He called us to live holy lives—not because we deserve it, but because He lavished grace and purposed it. “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” (2 Timothy 1:9b).
Before time even began, God already had a plan for me—and for you. He chose us, not because we were perfect, but because He loved us deeply and completely. And that’s what makes us worthy—not our past, not our mistakes, but the fact that He chose us anyway.
That’s the deep love I saw reflected in my son’s adoption. A love not based on what we deserve or earn, but on something far greater—God’s unchanging, unconditional grace.
Friend, I don’t know what you’re going through right now. I don’t know where you’ve been. But I do know this: Your messy past doesn’t disqualify you from the goodness God has for you today—especially His saving grace. You are worthy of love. Deep love. The kind of love that doesn’t change, no matter what.
If you’re struggling to believe that right now, if you’re questioning your worth, take a moment to pause and reflect. Remember the one who laid His life down for you. Take time to thank Him for His lavish grace. Deep-dive into what His Word says about your value in His eyes.
Don’t buy into the lie that you don’t matter.
You are deeply loved—more than you can possibly imagine. And wherever you are, no matter what’s behind you, God’s love is still there, waiting for you to embrace it. Always.
