Afterthought

Go into a random store the day before a major holiday like Christmas or Easter, or days set aside to remember and honor those we love -- Valentine's Day, Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day -- and you’ll no doubt find a shelf filled with dubious looking items for sale (like a scented candle in the shape of a mini cupcake or a necktie sporting a pheasant) underneath a sign touting them as ‘Last Minute Gift Ideas.’ I’ve even seen one that read 

‘Last Minute Gifts for that Special Someone’ 

Listen – if that someone was THAT special, why would you wait until the dead last minute to buy them a gift (limited incomes and off pay weeks notwithstanding)? Yes, nothing says ‘I Love You’ like a tiny lump of wax resembling pastry, a gaudy tie, or some other lame item from the Clearance section of your local WalMart.

Or how about this one? Have you ever been told by someone:

“I asked all my other friends if they wanted to come with me to ­­_____  (fill in the blank here with some event or destination) but they all said ‘No’....and then I remembered YOU!”

Wow. Gee, thanks. Really, I'm honored.

Over the years, I’ve been the recipient of last minute gifts and invites; sometimes even left out entirely (intentionally or unintentionally) of one get-together or another. And sad to say, I’ve done the same to others.

It’s an awful thing to come face-to-face with the reality of being someone’s afterthought. Or even worse – realizing that you weren’t even thought about at all. As in totally off the radar. Not even on the list. Forgotten.

Thankfully, this isn’t how God operates. You’re not an afterthought to Him. In fact, the psalmist has this to say:

How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly! I can't even count how many times a day Your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, You are still thinking of me! (Psalm 139:17-18, TLB)

And in Isaiah 49:15-16, God says, Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of My hands.

I like the Amplified Bible version of verse 16 even better: Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands.

Today and every day, grab on and hold tightly to this awesome, wonderful and comforting TRUTH that you are always on God's mind, that you are ever in His thoughts. You are never His last pick for the team; you aren't the recipient of some thoughtless, last minute gift; you are not a postscript to a letter written long ago but never mailed; nor a forgotten child left home alone. 

Instead, know that you are chosen, holy and dearly loved by the Father, Who is Love.

You are NOT forgotten.