A deep need in our souls is the desire to be desired. We want to be wanted. And we love being loved. Perhaps your parents excelled at showing you that you were—and are—wanted, that you were planned and desired. Or perhaps you did not get that message. Perhaps you were adopted or abused or came from a broken home, or, like the story of Dawn at the beginning of this chapter, your parents were not ready to be parents. No matter your situation, God wanted you. God planned for you long before you were conceived. And God desires you and desires to be with you every moment of your life.

For me, Psalm 139:13-16 has always been a glorious expression of God’s desire for us, of God’s intricate involvement in every aspect of our conception and development.

The other passage that speaks so powerfully about God’s pre-planning for our lives is Ephesians 2:10. It speaks of how God has a plan for our lives—that our souls come pre-equipped with a longing to create and to do good works.

God has made us. God has created us. And we are created for good works. All of this God had in mind even before your parents, or those who raised you, knew you.

Lectio divina is an ancient practice in which you take a passage of Scripture, usually not more than a few verses, and read them slowly three times, with long pauses between. The slow pace and the pauses allow the Spirit to “highlight” a word or phrase that stands out to you. Take these two powerful passages, Psalm 139:13-16 and Ephesians 2:10, and read them slowly, with an inner awareness of any words or phrases that stand out to you. This is often a “word” from the Holy Spirit that God has in mind specifically for you.

Lectio divina is one of my favorite approaches to the Bible. It is a great exercise to experience that God is intimately interested in our lives, and is intricately connected to us in the present moment. When you combine the practice of God speaking in the present moment regarding things from our past, it can be very powerful.

Once a word or phrase becomes highlighted in some way (an inner consonance, perhaps), write the word or words down in a journal or notepad. The highlighted word or words can change during the second and third readings. If that is the case, write down those words as well. Once you are through, pause for a moment of silence. Then look at the words or phrases and ask God what they might mean for you now, in this moment. Perhaps God will want to speak to you a word about your own unique situation. But either way, I am certain that God wants to speak this word to you: you are wanted, more wanted than you know, by the God who made you and has never allowed you out of his sight.