Esi grew up feeling like she didn’t belong. Her parents had divorced when she was young, and she spent most of her childhood bouncing between homes. Though her parents loved her, she often felt like an afterthought in their busy lives. As she grew older, that sense of being unwanted lingered. She struggled with questions of identity and worth, wondering if anyone would ever truly care for her just as she was.

One Sunday, at the invitation of a friend, Esi attended church. During the sermon, the lady pastor read from Ephesians 1:5:
“He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.”

Those words pierced Esi ’s heart. Adopted? she thought. She had always associated adoption with children who didn’t have a family, and now she realized that this verse was speaking directly to her. She wasn’t just some random person trying to find her place in the world, God had chosen her, predestined her, to be part of His family. He didn’t do it reluctantly or out of obligation but because it gave Him pleasure to call her His child.

That night, Esi knelt by her bed and prayed for the first time in years. “Lord, I’ve spent so much of my life feeling unwanted and unloved. But Your Word says You’ve chosen me, that You’ve adopted me as Your own. Thank You for loving me so much that You would call me Your child. Help me to believe this truth and to live in the confidence of being Yours.”

From that moment on, Esi began to see herself differently. She was no longer defined by her past or her feelings of rejection. She was a beloved daughter of the King, adopted into His family through Jesus Christ. That truth gave her a newfound sense of worth and identity. She started sharing her story with others, encouraging them to embrace the love and belonging that God offers to all His children.

Ephesians 1:5 reminds us of the incredible truth that God has chosen us and adopted us into His family through Jesus Christ. This adoption isn’t based on our merit or worthiness, it is an act of His love and grace, done in accordance with His pleasure and will. No matter how rejected or unloved we may feel, God’s Word assures us that we belong to Him, and He delights in calling us His children.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for choosing us and adopting us into Your family through Jesus Christ. For the reader who feels unloved or unwanted, I pray that You remind them of the truth of Ephesians 1:5,that they are Your beloved child, chosen and cherished. Help them to embrace their identity in You and to walk in the confidence of being part of Your family. Thank You for Your love, which is greater than anything this world can offer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let this story and prayer encourage you: If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong or that you’re not enough, know this, God has chosen you. Through Jesus Christ, He has adopted you into His family, not because you earned it, but because He loves you deeply and takes pleasure in calling you His own. Your identity isn’t found in the opinions of others or in your past, it’s found in the unchanging truth that you are a child of God. Live today in the confidence of being His!