REMINDER FOR THE MISFITS

Reminder for the Misfits

By Allisyn Morris, a junior sign language interpretingmajor from La Porte, Indiana

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSV)

Life can feel miserable sometimes. This past year alone, it seems as if the news can do nothing but report on horrific tragedies, controversial political topics and natural disasters. It is so easy to get swept up in the mix of bad news with our personal problems that we want to give up. But it is important for us to not give up hope and to remain strong in our faith. In Zephaniah 3:14-20, we are reminded of the justice, love and redemption God grants us.

God does not love us because of our circumstances, but God loves us in spite of our circumstances. Meaning that God forgives all, no matter our situation. If we are feeling guilt, we need to know that with God, we can be freed of our burdens and carry on with our lives. But even if we know and understand God’s forgiveness, it can still feel as if God is far away from us, living in Heaven and impossible to reach. This is not true. God lives among us always. When God ascended into Heaven, we were not left behind. God lives with us, continuously fighting for us, and fighting with us. And with God on our team, how can we lose?

Most importantly, we are reminded that we are not mistakes. Those of us with mental illnesses, physical disabilities, and those of us who feel as if we are the outcasts that God forgot about, we must know that God made us purposefully. Not to simply tolerate us, but to rejoice in us. It’s understandable for people to feel that because of our brokenness and our imperfections, we are not worthy of the goodness of God, but we are. God tells us that directly. We are reminded of the righteousness of God, and the justice God grants us in this passage. It is important to remember, no matter our experiences, our hardships, our mistakes, God wants us, God loves us, and God made us not to tolerate our existence, but to rejoice in us and to spend time in our company. God wants to know us, and God wants to bring us to our eternal home in Heaven.

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NRSV)

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! ¹⁵The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. ¹⁶On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. ¹⁷The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing ¹⁸as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.¹⁹I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. ²⁰At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.