Unloved: The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved

Do you sometimes feel unloved by God?

There is good news: you can’t earn God’s love. Whatever you have done or whatever has been done to you—none of it qualifies or disqualifies you from God’s love.

In Unloved: The Rejected Saints God Calls Beloved, Elyse M. Fitzpatrick tells stories of God’s faithfulness towards the misunderstood and often unfaithful saints of the Bible, such as Sarah and Abraham, Tamar and Judah, and Bathsheba and David. These women and men suffered and failed and were often maligned. And yet they were loved by God. His love for these messy saints reminds you that God also loves you—generously, lavishly, and freely. Jesus came for the outcasts, men and women burdened by shame or guilt. He came for the unloved. And he calls you his beloved.

• Hosea and Gomer
• Sarah and Abraham
• Hagar and Photine (the woman at the well)
• Tamar and Judah
• Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz
• Bathsheba and David
• Mary and Joseph

Contents

Endorsements

Elyse does an amazing job of tracing the story of God’s favor towards imperfect, flawed, and broken people throughout Scripture, and I know these truths will be life-changing for many. I will be recommending this book often!

—Joy Forrest, founder and executive director, Called to Peace Ministries

Elyse has gifted us with a long lingering look at the unfailing love and value God demonstrates for those we might label unlovable, unattractive, unsuccessful, undeserving, and unwanted. If you’ve ever struggled with the ‘I’m not _______enough’ syndrome, this book is for you. You don’t have to be good enough, smart enough, or spiritual enough to be wildly loved by a good and generous God.

—Leslie Vernick, Christian counselor; international speaker; relationship coach; author of The Emotionally Destructive Relationship and The Emotionally Destructive Marriage

The stories contained in these pages exposed my soul in surprising ways. While I know I can’t earn God’s love, I’m not sure I recognized just how often my heart functions according to a meritocracy. I’m so thankful for Elyse’s careful, winsome retelling of these stories that showed me again that I am not only deeply broken, but also deeply beloved.

—Scott Mehl, pastor, Cornerstone Church of West Los Angeles, California

“Elyse Fitzpatrick shares stories of how God’s undeserving people have experienced the richness of his everlasting love, found only in Christ. What a breath of fresh air! Read this for your own heart and share it with a friend.

—Shauna Van Dyke, founder and biblical counselor, Truth Renewed Ministries; strategic advisor, The Association of Biblical Counselors