Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
– Ephesians 1:3-4
I was at a conference a few weeks ago when the program leader said the dreaded words that every solo attendee hates to hear: “Turn to a partner and share what you wrote down.”
INSERT ALL THE ANXIETY.
Anyone who’s ever been to an event as a party of one in a sea of pairs, partners, and groups should know what I’m talking about. It’s that same feeling from Elementary School P.E. when you didn’t earn the coveted title of captain and had to wait patiently for someone to choose you for their team. In a matter of seconds, you feel unworthy, insecure, and lonely, all because of the fear of not being chosen or wanted by someone else.
Can you relate? Maybe you reached out and asked someone for a date and they didn’t reciprocate. Maybe you didn’t get asked to go to that bachelorette party. Or, maybe that small group leader forgot to add your name to the group text or email chain and you missed out on a planned event.
One of my favorite Bible stories (probably because of the sing-a-long song from Children’s Church) is the story about Zaccheus the tax collector in Luke 19. Zaccheus was not only a wee little man, but he was also very disliked and distrusted because of his position that was associated with corruption and greed. When Jesus was passing through Jericho, Zaccheus climbed a tree to get a look at this guy who he’d heard so much about. While we know that he climbed the tree for a better vantage point, I think there’s a chance Zaccheus climbed this tree because he felt excluded by the crowds below and it was easier to be alone. But when Jesus saw him in the tree, He told Zaccheus to come down so He could stay at his house. Luke 19:6 says “Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.” Jesus pursued Zaccheus the same way He pursues you and me: with individual attention, grace, and love.
In a world full of people saying “you can’t sit with us,” Jesus invites us to sit at His table.
While we’re going to be put in situations where we might not feel wanted, we can rest assured that were chosen by a perfect, loving Savior who pursues us every day. He chooses us on the days when we slip up or feel unworthy. He chooses us on the days when we feel weak or unloved by others. And He even chooses us on the days when we don’t choose Him. What an incredible truth to know that even when the world is able to exclude us or leave us out, Jesus will always pick us to be His partner!
Are you coming to this year’s Wheatful Woman Event alone? GOOD NEWS! You don’t have to be afraid of feeling that “what if I’m left out?” anxiety. You’re going to be surrounded by a room full of women who are PUMPED and ready to connect with you.
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Jantzen Jolly-Miller is a small business marketing professional and freelance faith writer who is on a mission to help women get real: real with themselves, with their business, and with their relationship with God and His church. In addition to being the lead content writer for Wheat and Honey Co., she blogs about personal takeaways from her life and faith walk to help women create positive change in their everyday routines at JantzenJollyMiller.com