The Outcasts

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  Therefore all those who devour you will be devoured. All your adversaries, everyone of them, will go into captivity. Those who plunder you will be plunder. I will make all who prey on you become prey. For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says Yahweh, "because they have called you an outcast, saying, 'It is Zion, whom no man seeks after.' " Jeremiah 30:16-17 WEB.
  
  It was a quiet morning, and the fog had settled over the fields. I went to the garden and picked a bell pepper to eat for breakfast. After my dad left for work, my stepmother would put my brother and me outside, then bring her children in to have breakfast at the table with her.
  
  She kept the cereal and things that could be eaten without cooking in a cabinet with a padlock. She didn't want to see it wasted on us. My stepmother had ten children of her own, as well as three new stepchildren. I was the youngest of them all. When we became old enough to work, she began charging us rent to live there.
  
  We were the outcasts, the unwanted, and constantly reminded that we were nothing, that we would never amount to anything. The other siblings were older than us and seemed to feel like we were trying to steal their inheritance, so most of them despised us. When you are treated like trash for so long, you begin to believe it and even expect it. I grew up with baggage that would scare many psychiatrists, but thankfully, my story doesn't end there.
  
  After all of that mess, God sought me out, and He turned my life around. It turns out that His heart is for the outcasts. God sees your suffering and what you are going through. He will change your shame into praise. When God gets a hold of your life, no one can stop Him, and no one can get in His way. The ones that looked down on you will have to look up in awe at what God has done in your life, just like the half-brothers of Joseph looked up to him.
  
  If you have been an outcast, know that God cares deeply for you. I am amazed at how much God cares for the lost, the outcasts, and the broken. He will truly leave the ninety-nine sheep behind (Luke 15:4) to seek the lost one out. When He has found them, He rejoices.
  
  If you are down today, know that He will lift you up. When everyone else hates you, He still loves you. When they put you out, He will take you in. When they say that you will be nothing, He will mold you into something. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. Surrender to Him completely and never look back.
  
  Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your mighty hand on my life. You see the broken and the needy. You rescue the outcasts. Please lead me, and I will follow You today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
  
  Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presence and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! "Ladies in Distress" is a private group, so if you have any problems joining, just post anywhere and we will help you :). Here is the link: Ladies in Distress
  
  
  

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