The Paradox of Grace

God’s love for us is incomprehensible and even for a talented writer, indescribable. Not one of us is even close to being worthy of such a love which makes his sacrifice and companionship even more unfathomable. He created us to be in relationship with him, and he with us, but we walked out on that relationship in our arrogance and brought upon ourselves the disease of sin that eats away at us like a cancer. And still he fought for us and gave himself up to death in our place, took the cancer from our souls into his on the cross, dying in our place to rise again conquering death forever.

God is perfect and powerful and needs nothing from us. But still he saved us, not because he needed us but because he loves and wants us. He includes us in his work to bring all people to him, not because he needs us, but because he wants to include us—the messy, sinful, weak, and unimpressive human beings that we are.

Everything I have and I am is from him and because of him. What can I give him as a token of my love and admiration? The only thing he really wants—me. Not in spite of the messy, sinful, weak, and unimpressive person that I am but just as I am. For sure, I’m not good enough—I’m a $5 piece of shiny costume jewelry and God deserves the most precious diamond. But here’s the amazing news—God doesn’t want the diamond. He wants me just as I am—the best I can be and not more. And when in my sinfulness, I dull my shine a little I can be assured of his love and forgiveness. He has already done the work of grace and lavishes his grace upon me to help me back on my feet and to shine my light of his love and presence brightly again.

Interesting paradox—I never was, am not now, nor ever could be good enough for him and yet he wants me more than anything else I could give him which makes me, by his grace, good enough for him.