When your past doesn’t define your place in the family of God
In 1863, Edwin Booth—yes, the brother of John Wilkes Booth—stood on a crowded train platform in Jersey City. The crowd accidentally shoved a young man near him and fell between the platform and the moving train. Without hesitation, Edwin reached down and pulled him to safety.
That man he saved? Robert Todd Lincoln—son of President Abraham Lincoln.
Two lives intersected in a moment that neither could’ve scripted. One rescued—one rescuer. What’s striking isn’t just the timing, but the more profound metaphor. Because spiritually speaking, we’ve all been Robert Todd Lincoln—pushed by life’s chaos to the edge of destruction. And without even fully realizing it, we’ve been rescued at the last moment by a Savior who reached down and pulled us into life.
Romans 8 reminds us that this rescue was more than just a moment—it was a full adoption into God’s family. “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God… and by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:14–15)
You may have been born into a broken family system, or feel like your life has teetered dangerously near the edge more times than you can count. But God isn’t deterred by your history. He’s rewriting your heritage. He pulls you from the wreckage—and calls you His.
That changes everything.
This week, pause and reflect:
- What broken “family scripts” have you carried into your relationship with God?
- How does it feel to be fully adopted—not tolerated—by the Father?
- Who might need to hear that they’ve been pulled from the tracks, too?
You are not who raised you, not what happened to you, and not even what you’ve done. You are His—rescued, renamed, and restored.
And that’s the mid-week memo.
Steve
