When Christian was a little boy, and he was finally tucked up in bed after prayers and stories, I would walk to the bedroom door, stop, turn and ask him this question:
“Which boy does Mommy love?”
He would put his little hand on his chubby cheek and with a big grin say
“This boy!”
He said it with absolute conviction because he knew it was true. He was and is a well-loved boy.
That’s what I want for you. I want you to know in the deepest part of who you are that you are never called to be perfect. Rather you are perfectly loved.
In 2017, we celebrated the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his “Ninety-Five Theses” on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. For years believers had struggled to keep the law, to get it all right. Luther himself did this too. But one day as he was studying the book of Romans, a light bulb came on. His revolutionary message was that sinners are justified by grace through faith. Not by getting everything right! This message transformed him and it’s some of the best news of all.
You are loved.
You are accepted.
You are invited to be your real authentic self.
That kind of love, the love Jesus died for, changes how we see our mess. The mess is temporary but the love of God will get us all the way home.
I have one final request. Every time you catch you reflection in a mirror or even a puddle, would you ask yourself this question?
“Which girl does Jesus love?”
Then put your hand on your cheek and with absolute conviction say
“This girl!”
Romans 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…”