Still Wanted, Still Loved

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” 

Charles doesn’t say much about his past these days. But every now and then, sitting quietly on the porch with his coffee, the memories come back.

And when they do, they still bring tears.

He remembers being young, too young to feel the kind of shame he carried. There were no words for it then, but he was confident: God hated him. When he looked in the mirror, he didn’t see someone broken. He saw someone unworthy. Unloved. And eventually, he made a quiet, painful agreement in his heart: If that is how God feels about me, then I want nothing to do with Him.

So, he shut the door, locked it, and threw away the key.

Then came the war.

Vietnam broke him in ways no one could see. The blood, the terror, the weight of it all—it never really left. But even harder than war was what waited for him when he got home. A country that didn’t understand, didn’t ask, and sometimes seemed to hate him for surviving.

So he turned to whatever might quiet the pain. Anything to help him forget. He was chasing peace, but all he ever found was numbness.

By Easter night in 1982, he had a plan. His life was going to end.

But it didn’t.

Because Jesus showed up.

Not as a feeling. Not a metaphor. He came in person. Charles still shakes when he talks about it.

“You’ve made some mistakes,” Jesus said, “and I am the only one who can help you.”

In that stillness, something happened. Like a jolt of electricity. Like light breaking through a locked door or a wave crashing on the shore. It was more than forgiveness. It was the feeling of being chosen. Wanted. Loved, even after everything. Charles collapsed to the floor. And in that moment, everything changed.

Now, when he wipes away a tear, he remembers who he was. But that man is gone. In his place is a husband, a father, and a man who walks in real peace. His life was rebuilt by a Savior who stepped into his darkest moment and said, “You’re not too far gone.”

And maybe, if you’ve felt dead inside for too long, his story is meant for you.

Because Easter is not just history. It is a living God who still walks into rooms and says, “I am the only one who can help you.”