CLEARANCE

In a major retail store I visited I came upon a section of shelves marked “Clearance.”

This is a special area of the store where they sell the items that had been scratched, dented or somehow damaged.

There is surely some process the store must go through to define and select items that are no longer “normal.” Likely there is a policy manual to guide them that specifies how big a dent may be, or how long a scratch can be, before it is labeled “less desirable” and relegated to the clearance area.

In case you haven’t noticed….. no one is normal! We are all unique, special, and we all carry the scars and dents of a life lived in the harsh environment of this world. We are all “damaged goods”.
Maybe our faults are physical, but they can also be emotional, intellectual or a result of our choices or habits. Whatever the cause of the problem, we all have them.

Thankfully God does not search through the shelves of our community and pull the damaged containers off the shelf, toss them into a basket and place them on a clearance isle somewhere in the back, dark corners of the world, or into life’s green dumpster.

In the gospel of Mark chapter 2 and verse 17 Jesus told us that He did not come for the “healthy”, He came for the sick. Jesus came for those that are beaten, bruised and broken. He came to those who are on their last nerve and are ready to give up, give out or give in.

If you feel you are normal and have everything “all figured out” then I apologize, this article is not for you. But, if you are among the other 99.9999% of us who are not abnormal, here this: God loves you!

God wants to lift you up, repair the damage that has occurred and place you, fully restored, into a place of safety and purpose.

You are always valuable to Him.