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Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart .’”
    Megan nearly gasped. Cindy had said something very similar at lunch only a few days ago. Twenty minutes later, Megan realized she had forgotten about the handsome gentleman sitting next to her. She hadn’t been distracted by the clean fragrance emanating from him, or her stupid comment about it. She had been so focused on Pastor Dan and the message he was sharing she had lost the ability to worry about anything else. Her complete attention had been in the words spoken and what she was sure had been meant just for her.
    The shepherd smiled lovingly at his flock. “I want to remind someone here today, perhaps more than one someone, of the love of our Heavenly Father. A father who loves you so much He sacrificed His only son on your behalf. You do not have to walk aimlessly through this world. God has a purpose for you, and if you will trust Him, He will fulfill that purpose in and through you.”
    The young minister began to candidly share the emptiness he’d experienced in his life before turning to God for answers. He stepped down from the pulpit, onto the floor closer to his flock as he told his story.
    “My search for acceptance and meaning began when I was a child. As a little boy, I never felt accepted by my mother. No matter what I did to gain her approval, it wasn’t good enough and she was very emotionally and verbally abusive to me. Physical abuse came close a few times but I think she knew to draw the line there though because my father would not tolerate it. I never spoke with anyone about it and this added to the isolation I was feeling.”
    He paused for a moment, his brows drawn together pensively as he went on, “When I was fourteen years old, I discovered the reason. When I was only eighteen months old, my biological mother left my father and me. The woman I knew to be my mother wasn’t. Finally, I understood why I felt out of place and as if I didn’t belong when I was with her and her family.”
    Megan could relate to the perception he once held, of never belonging anywhere and of not truly fitting in. Unlike what he was relating, though, she still could not comprehend how God could help those feelings.
    “Unfortunately my search for acceptance continued on through high school and into college, where I tried to dull the ache of emptiness with parties and alcohol. And…” Pastor Dan paused as if he were embarrassed about what he was going to say next, “…in relationships with girls.”
    He immediately turned to Penny who was sitting in the front row. “Now I only have eyes for you, honey.” This brought a round of laughter from the congregation. He smiled and as the laughter subsided, he returned to the podium and a serious note.
    “In spite of all these things, I remained empty and wounded. In fact, they only added to my wounds. It wasn’t until I turned my life over to God and walked the path He chose for me, that my emptiness was assuaged and my wounds healed.” His voice was filled with sincerity and his eyes misted with tears. Megan’s eyes misted as well.
    “Perhaps,” Pastor Dan continued, “you are very much like I was, and you have suffered a great deal of emotional pain in your life which has left you angry and bitter. Or maybe your pain comes from past mistakes you have made or from others who have failed you.” Was he looking directly at her as he said that? Did he know? How could he? She had not spoken of it with anyone.
    His simple message was striking a chord within her. “God will never fail you. He will forgive you. Not only that, He will help you to forgive yourself and those who have hurt you.”
    As the pianist began to softly play the benediction music, Megan bowed her head as everyone else did.
    “I want you to take the