“When I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you ‘Live!’ I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 16)

The God of the universe, the Author of all that is good and lovely, passed by and saw me in my wretched, hopeless condition. He was not attracted to my beauty or goodness because I had none. I had absolutely nothing to offer Him. I was ugly and helpless, drowning in the blood of my own guilt and condemnation.

But incredibly, beyond all logic, beyond all comprehension, He had compassion on me. He rescued me. He entered into a covenant with me. He made me His own.

And for the first time, I had hope. I had a future. I had worth. Not because I possessed those things within myself—but because I now belonged to Him.

— Leslie Ludy, Set-Apart Femininity