Growing Pains

July 17

Have you ever felt unloved and unlovely? That’s familiar territory to any adolescent. Most teens look in the mirror with abject distain for what they see reflected back at them. Fortunately, we who believe in Jesus know, even through the ‘awkward years’ that we are precious to our Savior.

Yet, there is a palpable pain that is borne by many people during those ‘changeling’ years that they carry with them throughout their lives. The real and perceived hurts that are hurled during that time of wrestling with who we want to be and who we are becoming can impact us well into adulthood.

As a nation, Israel has had some growing pains. Although it is an ancient land, the location of much of Bible history and prophecy, the land in which our Savior was born and where He died and rose again, much hardship has dogged the heels of modern Israel and God’s ancient people, the Jews. They have not always been accepted by other nations.

They have been persecuted mercilessly; they have been hated although the contributions they have made toward the betterment of mankind have been incalculable. But God assures them in Jeremiah 30:17, “I will bring you health and heal your wounds…though they call you ‘Outcast,’ Zion who no one cares about.” Man’s opinion matters not when a man or a nation has God’s favor.