I'm a Misfit Toy

Most of you have probably seen the wonderful Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas Special with the Abominable Snowman and Yukon Cornelius the gold miner and so forth.  If not- just watch on television and you'll probably see it four times this year alone… One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is the Polar Express- I love it, you should take some time to watch that too…  But recently I was going through a time of really needing to be reminded of Jesus' sacrifice for me.  I needed the overwhelming truth of what He did for me to change me, not just the knowledge of that truth.  I needed to be reminded of who I really was- as a sinner in need of a savior.  I prayed for God to really reveal to more about Jesus' sacrifice and myself- and He is so good, He continues to show me the overwhelming truth of Christ's sacrifice. 

In this time God gave me this image to show me and remind me who I really am and why His love is so amazing.  He took me back to that near and deer (hahaha) special with the reindeer who was outcast from all the rest.  In his journeys and wanderings he comes across the island of misfit toys- toys that became broken, or that didn't work quite right.  Toys that had already been opened or played with and abandoned... that had been determined useless by their owners.  All these toys had come together and were living on the "Island of Misfit Toys"- having been rejected by little girls and boys.  In the same way, in the Polar Express, Santa was starting a recycling program, bringing back the toys that kids had used and broken or abandoned.  Both movies had these cases of abandoned toys that were determined unworthy by the standards of the user.  

God used these toys to show me that is exactly who I am… no child on Christmas would willingly accept an already unwrapped present that was used and broken- missing bits and pieces- that was dirty and smelly- that no longer worked correctly.  And yet God accepts us exactly that way-  we can't give him anything more than ourselves, and we are these broken misfit toys that no one else would even accept.  Yet he yearns for us, he longs for us… He wants us to come to Him and he wants to take us back and fix all of our broken areas- which He knows better than anyone because he is our creator.  He knows how to properly restore us.  

And it wasn't even enough that He is the only one who would even take us in this condition, but he paid the price himself to make us clean.  He gave his son that we would be able to be restored.  And that is humbling- to look at yourself as the broken unwanted toy that God paid to have for himself…