Rag Dolls

John Ortberg tells the story of his sister’s love for a doll. When she got it, the doll was so beautiful, and his sister just truly loved that doll, she took the doll everywhere with her, slept with the doll, and played with the doll continuously. However, over time there was wear and tear; missing hair, broken arm, torn clothes. Still, his sister’s love remained constant, strong, and unconditional.

Ortberg drew two conclusions from this illustration. “First, we are all rag dolls; flawed, wounded, broken and bent. But the second truth is that we are God’s rag dolls. He knows about our raggedness and loves us anyway.”

You have to let that sink in for a few minutes, but once it does it is so encouraging. It is truly amazing to think about this unconditional love of the creator for those that believe; for those that understand and recognize their raggedness and their need for a savior.

Romans 5 tells us just how much God loves us;

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Can you see it? God demonstrates his love for us by loving us even when we were His enemy; through Christ we are reconciled by love and our response should be unconditional love for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen!

Ortberg continues that this can be summarized into one statement uttered by a wise theologian years ago; “God is for us!” It is so true and we can see it clearly in Romans 8;

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Abba Father, thank you so much for loving your rag dolls so much that we might be reconciled to you forever and ever. Thank you for being for us so that nothing will ever separate us from the love of Christ. Amen and Amen!

Grace and Peace!