God Is For the Messy And the Complicated And the People Who Make Bad Choices. He’s For All of Us.

What if I told you that nothing you have done, or will do, can separate you from the love of God? 

Would you believe me? 

Would you think – Sure. That sounds really nice for (insert name of person you deem worthy of God’s love here), but not for me. I’ve done too much. I’ve made too many mistakes. I’m not good enough. 

Would you think – Sure. That sounds great for people who don’t (insert name of whatever thing that makes you feel unworthy of God’s love here), but not for me. I drink too much. I use swear words. I watch things I probably shouldn’t watch. I have a temper. I don’t always tell the truth. 

Would you think – Sure. That’s great for everyone else. I can believe God would love them. 

But not me. 

I’ve messed up one too many times. 

And I keep messing up. 

And I will keep messing up. 

I just know it. 

God is for the people who have it all together. He’s for the people who never miss church on Sunday. He’s for the people who have never been drunk. And have never said a bad word. He’s for the people who have never lied. And are totally unselfish. He’s for the people who have never cheated. And are always kind. 

He’s for them. 

Not me. 

Because I’m messy. And I’m complicated. And sometimes I make good choices, but more times than I care to count – I don’t. 

Plus, God knows my past. He knows all the things I’ve ever done. He knows the things I never want anyone to know. Because those are the things that make me unlovable. 

Friends, does any of this sound familiar to you? 

It does to me. 

I believed in God. I had a relationship with Him, but I thought I was too tarnished to really deserve ALL of His love. 

I believed He had to love me, because He is God, but not that He really and truly loved me. All of me. It was more of an obligatory love than a real, deep abiding love. 

I would sing, “Yes, Jesus loves me,” but I didn’t really and truly believe it. 

And then, through a series of events that can only be described as God’s hand gently bringing me to Him, the walls came down. Bit by bit, I began to accept that I was lovable. All of me. Regardless of my past mistakes. Regardless of my present mistakes. And regardless of any mistakes I would make in the future. 

And once I accepted that love, I learned it was so much more than I ever could fathom. 

Friends, what if I told you that nothing you have done, or will do, can separate you from the love of God? 

Nothing.

Would you believe me? 

I hope and pray the answer is yes. 

And if it isn’t, I understand. It took me awhile to get there, too. The good news is God is patient, and gentle. He loves you. And He is for you. He is pursuing you. 

And will continue to for all of your days.

*This originally appeared on my Facebook Page in February, 2020.