“…THOU ARE MINE…” (Isaiah 43:1)
There's a famous song by Dean Martin that says 'You're nothing until someone loves you'. That letter reveals our deepest longings. We want our lives to be worth, to have transcendence. Our greatest fear is going through life without anyone noticing. We are very concerned about the lack of education, our economic situation compared to others, and physical appearance. That's why we get upset when a friend forgets to call us, a teacher doesn't remember our name or a coworker takes the honors of something we've done with us. We seek attention, we drop names of prestigious people in conversation to give ourselves importance and we put flashy stickers on our cars. Fashion designers tell us 'If you wear our jeans you will be someone'. So we go to the store and spend half our salary on some Italian jeans. But then - what horror! - the style changes, they are no longer tight but wide and pale instead of dark. So we're left wearing yesterday's fad, feeling like we're old news.
To the point: You cannot acquire the sense of transcendence with external things; it is something internal. What gives meaning to your life is someone you trust, who will never change; someone who knows the worst about you and yet always believes the best. And there is only one such being: God. So read the following: “Now, thus says the Lord, Creator… and Maker of you…: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I gave you a name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and if by the rivers, they will not drown you. When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned nor will the flame burn in you. For I, the Lord, [am] your God… Because you are precious in my eyes…” (Isaiah 43:1-4).
“THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME…” (Psalm 139:14 NLT)
We seek meaning in life in different ways. We think that if we can relate to someone special, we will become someone special. Or we try to make something of us last after our death. When the billionaire realizes that his years will run out before his money, he creates a charitable foundation. For the same reason we have children; we think that when we die, our descendants will remember us as “My dear dad” or “My good mom” and so we prolong our lives through theirs. The famous atheist Bertrand Russel said: 'I know that when I die, my bones will rot and nothing will remain of my ego.' Maybe you think he's not right. Of course not!
Jesus said, “…Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30). We check a number of things: the amount of money in the bank, the gas left in the tank, the kilos on the scale, etc. And what about the hair? We comb it, we color it, we cut it but we don't count it. God counts our hair. God had you in His mind, He knows everything that concerns your life and He loves you. The psalmist wrote: “You created the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your fine work is wonderful, I know it very well. You watched me as I secretly took shape, as my parts wove together in the darkness of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book Every moment was designed before a single day passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God…” (Psalm 139:13-17 NLT).