Friday, July 20, 2012

God Loves Us Warts and All

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -- Romans 5:6-8

What are you trying to hide from God? Seriously. What do you think that God doesn’t see? What are you keeping to yourself in the hope that you never, ever have to go before God, confess and repent?

Well, I hate to burst your denial bubble, but God already knows. Yeah. He does. He knew before you did because He knew the decisions you’d make long before you made them.

He also knows the why. Even when we don’t understand our actions ourselves, God does. He sees it all. He understands it all. So what are you hiding for?

Oh, you’re afraid that God won’t love you because of your past? You think that because you can’t forgive yourself or because other people keep reminding you of your past, that God won’t let it go either? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

God knows every single thing we’ve ever done wrong. He know every mistake we’ve ever made, every nasty comment, every bad decision. Every thing. And He loves us anyway. He extends to us unconditional love. A love so perfect that we can’t begin to comprehend exactly what that means.

I’ll tell you another secret: God cares about the details of your life. Really. He does. Remember this is a God who has numbered the hairs on your head. He cares if your feelings got hurt. He cares if your bank account balance is low. He cares that a special young man asked you out on a date. He cares about it all.

And He wants to talk with you about it. He wants to laugh and cry with you. He wants to cheer you on and pick you up and dust you off when you fall. God wants to have a relationship with you. A real, loving relationship that encompasses all the details of your life.

Another wonderful thing about God: He always wants what is best for you. Always. There’s no underlying agenda. There’s no backstabbing. There’s nothing except pure love. God always knows what we most need and He’ll give it to us every time.

If we reach out and grab hold of His hand. If we accept the loving relationship He offers to us. If we believe, really believe, that He loves us right where we are.