Before I believed in God, I remember thinking that if he did in fact exist, I was probably about as significant to him as a speck of sand on a beach.... that there was no way he could care about me when there are so many other people in the world. When Lindsay and I had our first son Perry in 2008, that was the first time I really understood unconditional love, where I could love this tiny human no matter what he did. But I still didn't understand that true love is limitless, because in 2010 when my second son Harper was about to be born, I thought I was going to have to split my love 50/50 between them. So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that I didn't have to divvy up my love for them because I was somehow able to love them both just as much. That epiphany was one of several things that happened in my life that ultimately led me to find true faith in God about 9 years ago, changing my life for the better in every way. And today, I have seven kids (at last count) and I love each of them just as much as the others. If I can do that as a mere human, God can absolutely love the 8 billion humans on the planet... and he does!
Today, I just want to tell you or remind you how significant you are to God, no matter what kind of bad things you've done or what kind of brokenness you are living in. He loves you immensely and you were not a mistake (even if you were a "surprise" to your parents) because he created you on purpose. God has never made a mistake, and he certainly didn't make a mistake when he made you.
The title track of my album, The Prodigal, is all about the unconditional love and mercy of our heavenly Father even when we don't deserve it, based on Luke 15:11-32 in the Bible. If you need a reminder of how much he loves you, I'd encourage you to listen to and watch this lyric video and let the words wash over you.
-David Raybuck