KIDNAPPED!!

***Song from Danielle's Picks~ "Come to Jesus".

A couple of weeks ago, I read an article about an man in his 30's who was taken from his parents right after his birth. He had just been reunited with his father. Unfortunately, his mother was deceased.
When the father was interviewed, he said, "I never gave up. I never stopped thinking he would come home."
Just days before I read this article, I was speaking with a lady who was ready to give up...she has been battling depression for some time. Now, at the beginning of her healing, she was realizing that though she was saved as a child and has went to church her whole life, she has had no real relationship with God. "All these years I have lived for myself, I doubt God even wants me anymore", she said. She thought she was doing it right. But, her eyes were being opened to truth and sometimes that is difficult to look at.
Satan loves to kidnap baby christians and hold them captive so they are useless for the Kingdom of God.
That night, I was talking to God about all this and He talked back. That doesn't always happen...but this time it did, and this is how our talk went:
God: Danielle, what would you do if one of your children were taken at birth?

Me: I don't even want to think about that God. I would never rest until I brought them home.

God: Even if it had been thirty or forty years since they were taken? You had no relationship with them. They had never done a thing for you.

Me: I would never stop...they are a part of me. I would be heart broken without them.

God: What if they finally returned home to you, but they had terrible baggage and scars because their captor had delt harshly with them? Would you send them away in disgust wondering why they didn't try harder to escape their bondage?

Me: No! Of course not God. I would lavish my love on them and rejoice that they had finally come home. I would do everything in my power to help them through the pain.

God had to say nothing else. I knew exactly what He was showing me. Even as I type this, tears are welling up in my eyes.

This is the end of the interview with the 32 year old man about his ordeal:
"For the first time, I know who I was, who I am", the young man said still marveling at his new identity. At times, I wondered what I was living for. But being reunited with my father and understanding my indentity...its as if a hole in my soul has been filled. Never again will I use my old name. To have your identity is the most beautiful, life-changing thing there is".
Excuse me while I shout!!! If you've ever been in captivity, you know what this man is talking about. Bask in your identity in Christ and realize your Father is waiting...not with judgement, but with arms wide open...ready to welcome you home!