God’s Love–Even Now

I woke up grumpy, and events didn't help. Between the sound of my alarm and the sound of the keys as I type this, were a whole list of things I grumbled about: bad hair day. Car's in the shop. Had to cancel an appointment (because the car's in the shop). Forgot my keycard for work. Forgot my lunch. Forgot to eat breakfast. Can't remedy forgetfulness, because car's in the shop. But here's the thing: God loved me as much this morning as he ever has.

I woke up grumpy, and events didn't help. Between the sound of my alarm and the sound of the keys as I type this, were a whole list of things I grumbled about: bad hair day. Car's in the shop. Had to cancel an appointment (because the car's in the shop). Forgot my keycard for work. Forgot my lunch. Forgot to eat breakfast. Can't remedy forgetfulness, because car's in the shop. But here's the thing: God loved me as much this morning as he ever has.

Everybody has bad days and good ones–I've had some pretty good days, too. Days when I was all put together, abiding in Christ, doing things for his glory. You know those days–when you've got so much fruit of the Spirit you could open a stand at the farmers' market. On those days, he loves me no more than he loved me this grumpy morning. His love is not dependent on my mood, but his character. It's not earned by my good behavior, but by Jesus' righteous deeds.

So this morning, I could confidently come to him, resting in my security as his daughter. I was in need of heavy doses of mercy and grace and attitude adjustments. I needed him to forgive where and who and how I was right then, and to transform me, to align my heart and mind and will to his. And this loving, gracious Father of ours saw his grumpy daughter whom he loves, and did what only he can do.

Sometimes we hesitate to go to God with grumpiness or pain or sin. We're tempted to approach him only when we're polished and pretty, and to hide whenever we trip in the mud. We mix up his character with human character. We forget who he is, and who the foundation of his love is. It's all a matter of confidence.

Maybe today your struggle isn't grumpiness. Perhaps it's gossip or an bitterness or hate or an affair. Perhaps it's an abortion or stealing or lying or something else. There may not be a quick fix to your struggle, and the path may be a long one. But restoration starts with approaching your divine, loving Father with the confidence of this:

No matter what's happened, what you've done, what mood you're in, if you've been adopted into God's family through Christ's redemption, God loves you with an unwavering, everlasting, unconquerable love. You can approach him with confidence, because he loves you right now as much as he ever has.