You are Part of God’s Plan: You Were No Accident

Posted on by Keith Haney Posted in Search For IdentityTagged ,

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A professor in a world-acclaimed medical school once posed this medical situation — and an ethical problem — to his students: “Here’s the family history: The father has syphilis. The mother has TB. They already have had four children. The first is blind. The second had died. The third is deaf. The fourth has TB. Now the mother is pregnant again; The parents come to you for advice. They are willing to have an abortion if you decide they should. What do you say?”

The students gave various individual opinions, and then the professor asked them to break into small groups for “consultation.” All of the groups came back to report that they would recommend abortion.

“Congratulations,” the professor said, “You just took the life of Beethoven!”

Have you ever felt unsure about your importance in the world or wondered if you matter to God? It is possible you have felt uncertain about your usefulness or whether God found you acceptable.   If this describes you, then I want you to hang with me through this next series of “Finding Your Place in the World.” In this series, we will examine important things about our identity in Christ.  It is my prayer that you will gain a greater sense of your divine purpose.

You were On God’s Radar from the Beginning.

Paul says,

 “…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” Ephesians 1:4

 When I was a young kid, I was not an athletic stud. When the kids in my neighborhood would get a game together whether it was basketball or football, the players would line up, and the captains would choose their teams one by one. Inevitably, as the draft took place, I would be one of the last ones standing there. After all the other players had been chosen, and the pickings got thinner, the captain who was about to get stuck with me would first look up and down the block, hoping against hope that another potential teammate was approaching, he eventually had to settle for choosing me. It didn’t matter who, someone’s younger brother or sister, even someone’s aging grandmother.  When it was obvious no other help could be found he would point at me and say, “OK, I’ll take Keith.” Somehow, that didn’t make me feel chosen. I was just the lesser of two evils.  In fact, I had the feeling that if it hadn’t been my ball we were using, I had the sneaking suspicions I wouldn’t have gotten to play at all.

I think many of us can relate to this feeling in some arena of our lives.  It may be in the realm of relationships and dating where it seems we are always the third wheel.  Or in our profession, when the new people keep jumping over us for promotions. We can relate to the feeling being the second fiddle in a rock and roll band. We are the last one chosen and the least talented in at least some area—academically, athletically or musically. Fear not, there is a field where we never need to feel that way: our relationship with God. Probably all of us have wondered, at one time or another, “If they had it to do all over again, would they choose me? Would they hire me? Would she marry me?” Maybe some of you have even thought, “If God had it do over, would He choose me again?” Some of you believe that you have been such a disappointment to God that He would have been better off if He had not created and redeemed you in the first place. The message from Ephesians 1 is the exact opposite of that notion. The message of Ephesians is that God invited and welcomed you into the body of Christ not because He had to, but because it was God’s heart’s desire to do so. You are part of His plan. From the beginning, He has wanted you to be a member of his family.

(v. 5) “…he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

 You are part of His plan. From the beginning, it was His idea that you would become good.

Notice what Paul says,

(v. 4) “Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us to be holy and without fault in his eyes…”

.Whether or not you think it’s possible for you to become “holy and without the blame,” the Bible makes it clear that God thinks it is possible. Whether or not you believe in your potential, God believes in your potential.

You are part of His plan. From the beginning, God has known that you would arrive at this moment.

(v. 11-12) “…for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.”

Long before Genesis 1:1, God knew that you would be where you are today in your job, in your relationships, in all areas of your life. He was aware that you would be here at this moment. For some, it’s been a rough ride. There have been mistakes and disappointments along the way, and you’ve fallen short of God’s glory more times than you want to admit. Many of you have many regrets, and you’ve wanted to give up many times. But God’s love for you has never changed. From the beginning, he has known that your life would bring you to this place today. Even though your past may be littered with failure upon failure, it doesn’t change the fact that God loves you, He chose you, and He believes in you. You have been on His mind from the very beginning.

Other posts about identity:

Fearfully Made

Fatherhood: Only Real Men Need Apply

 

Purpose

66 thoughts on “You are Part of God’s Plan: You Were No Accident”

  4. Reply
    H.M. Davis says:

    Thanks for this post. Truly needed this reminder today in the midst of a very long season of discouragement. Also, your description of being picked (or not picked) for teams reminded me of a Studio C skit my kids just showed me which is good for a laugh. You can look on You Tube for Studio C “The Last Player Picked.’ Funny stuff!

    Liked by 3 people

  5. Reply
    Brandon Adams says:

    “The message of Ephesians is that God invited and welcomed you into the body of Christ not because He had to, but because it was God’s heart’s desire to do so. You are part of His plan. From the beginning, He has wanted you to be a member of his family.”

    Keith, I don’t know why this common message has waited until now to truly resonate, but thank you. I can relate to the life you’ve described. I will humbly accept his grace and do my best to let it matter, to believe that there’s some purpose for this weird, glitchy soul he crafted. Thank you.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Reply
    EndlessRivers says:

    I just love your posts. Thank you for conveying messages like this. I always come away with a renewed sense of being loved and accepted. I constantly ask myself the question “am I pleasing Him”… feeling as though I’m the kid who keeps getting into some kind of trouble. Posts like this help me remember that He loves me anyway… and KNEW I’d be who I am. I still think it’s crazy, but I love it! 😉

    Blessings- and thanks again.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      Keith Haney says:

      Abortion is a touchy issue. I think entitled is the wrong word. Because it fails to take into account two critical issues. 1. All live matters to the one who Created it God. And 2. It fails to take into account the rights and what the child is entitled to, life. There are better options than to end life. I am glad your parents choose life for you.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Reply
    Sammy J says:

    Another great piece by you. God knows us, knows our worth and even whenwe don’t believe in ourselves, He is always our number one fan. “Whether or not you think it’s possible for you to become “holy and without the blame,” the Bible makes it clear that God thinks it is possible. Whether or not you believe in your potential, God believes in your potential.” Thank you for this message. God bless.

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. Reply
    Elizabeth O. says:

    That’s really lovely, it’s a good reminder for us all to respect life in general. You can’t just take away a child’s life just because they have a defect. We all deserve to live, everyone is imperfect one way or another.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Reply
      Keith Haney says:

      I never said life was black and white but we have made life expendable. A matter of convenience where God values each one. We need a careful examination of all the options available before we just end something God created. That is my point.

      Liked by 1 person

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  21. Reply
    chaddamitz says:

    Great post brother Keith. Really encouraging to see how God has a plan for our lives. I never knew that about Beethoven. What a powerful story. I will remember that and pass it on for the glory of God. Blessings!

    Like

    1. Reply
      Keith Haney says:

      Do you have people around you who can support you? And have you prayed about the option of giving the baby up for adoption? The life you are carrying is valuable to God and you never know what plans God has for your unborn child and you if you faithful seek his will. I was an unplanned pregnancy and I thankful my mom did not give up on me.

      Like

  29. Reply
    crazyloveparent says:

    Such a lovely read! It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison trap or just the plain old “I’m not enough” in whatever area…fill in the blank. But because of Jesus, we are enough. We are enough, because He is enough. Thanks for this uplifting post! 🙂

    Like

  32. Reply
    alexisraven says:

    For a while now I have been feeling lost wondering what God’s Purpose for me may be. I’m so glad I came across your blog. I will definitely be keeping up with your post from now on. So inspiring & I love the faith that you have in God. Do you mind if I reblog?

    Liked by 1 person

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