“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” – Isaiah 53:3, 5 (NKJV)

“Look,” I screeched out of the blue, pointing wildly and startling the kids from their cell phone gaming in the back seat.

“Geese!”

“Mom!” Sam exclaimed, “You can’t scare us like that over some stupid geese.”

“They’re so pretty!” I retorted, ignoring the scolding I had become used to whenever I gasp aloud over the wonder of God’s creation – especially the Rocky Mountains, prairie dogs playing, and…geese.

They used to fly in to find warmer weather each winter and now they decided to stay, just like Californians. Funny, I did the same thing. I came to visit, and then, I came to stay.

Most people think the prairie dogs and Canadian geese that hang out in our neighborhood are a nuisance. Pooping in our parks. Digging up our developments.

Not me. They cheer me up. Bring me joy. Give me hope.

“Look kids, they’re so cute,” I said with a beaming grin at the prairie dogs scrambling and bringing their little paws up to their mouths, chewing and keeping watch all at once.

I find charismatic ground squirrels and distinguished black-tie birds to be absolutely charming.

While I find these majestic creatures fascinating and my heart brims with awe every chance I have to gaze at them, not everyone sees it the same.

Pests. Dirty. Stinky.

“They make a mess,” said one of my friends.

Don’t we all!

Just like our Savior, we can be seen differently than we are. He was despised just like the poor little, but seriously cute, rodents that made their colony where the contractors want to build.

We can experience judgement and rejection for what we are on the outside or for what we stand for on the inside.

And He knows. Intimately. What it is to be scorned, misjudged, unappreciated.

We are messy. We are misunderstood. We can be unlovely.

“and by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that. “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”(NKJV)

May we find hope in our redemption. No matter what we appear to be, we are His new creations.

Thank you, God that you saw fit to provide a way for us to be redeemed. You became one of us so that you could save us. May we find hope today in the truth of our salvation. You made us new.  – Amen

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.