Two months before the end-of-the-school-year kickball game, my son was already worrying, “I hope I don’t get picked last.”
I bet you know that fear, don’t you? Nothing seems as mortifying to a kid as standing by yourself with everyone else who has already been chosen looking at you. You’d rather the earth open up and swallow you. I’ve got some bad news... At some point in your life, you are going to know and feel the deep hurt that comes from standing last, from being all alone.
This is why knowing that God picked you first is even sweeter. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).
Before you were even born, God said, “I want you on my team.” He set you apart; he picked you, because you are so valuable to him. He actually abandoned his Son, Jesus—left him hanging alone on a cross—because he didn’t want you to stand alone in front of him on judgment day.
No matter what you face in this world, you get to walk around your whole life knowing that, thanks to Jesus, you are now and forever on God’s team.
Dear Father, thanks for picking me first. Thank you for forming me, knowing me, setting me apart. Even if I’m the last one people choose, I know that you have picked me. Every day when I wake up, I never worry because I know that you handpicked me. Thank you for putting me on your team. I love you, Lord. Amen.
