She flipped over the page of the calendar. The new page–February–stared back at her, decorated with its lacey hearts and pink roses. Valentine’s Day? Love? Even though she was still in her late teens, she could not relate. In her despair, instead of going downstairs for a drink, she turned to her computer to reach out to a voice she had heard on a Christian radio program: “Guidelines, A Five-minute Commentary on Living.” She wrote,

 

It is the middle of the night, and here I am writing to you. What is bothering me is me—who am I? I am only nineteen. My mother and father are gone. I am the last of nine children. I have two children I love, and they’re all I have to live for. Please write me back.

 

How could she be convinced God loved her? Not by her circumstances. She had hardly known love other than through her two children. Only one thing would be convincing enough to reach her in her misery: the truth that God loved her enough to sacrifice His Son, Jesus, for her. Love–real love that was costly, that wasn’t dependent on her performance.

 

Are you in similar circumstances? Everyone in your life has disappointed you–you feel used up, and you’re wondering why you are on the face of this earth. Let me assure you God does love you. He has a purpose for your life that will unfold as you walk with Him day by day. It won’t always be easy, but as you hold on to Him in the hard times, you will find He will direct your life. As the writer of Psalm 57 said, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me” (v. 2).

 

      If you are at a point of desperation, don’t give up! Fill your heart with the assurance that the God who died for you won’t leave you now. He will fulfill His purpose for your life as you call out to Him.