"Knock, Knock" "Who's there?" "It's Me, God...": And then, there was God...or was He always there?

It seemed as though my search for the Lord took a lifetime of trials and tribulations without realizing that the whole time, He was there right next to me. From an early age, I was always rejected and portrayed as an outcast in society. I sincerely believed that I wouldn't amount to much in life and that my suffering would never see an end. Once I understood that it didn't matter what the world said, God said I was His and that He loved me when I couldn't find it within the depths of my soul to love myself. How could Jesus love me when I was rejected by the world? It was then that I realized He loved me just as I was, which led me to be free. His grace and mercy follow me all the days of my life.