Advent Day 10

Tuesday, December 10th

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’” —Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT)

Good. Better. Best. That is the scale upon which our culture loves to weigh ourselves. Even though God declared us good in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:31), we couldn’t stop there. We had to have more, get more, do more, be more. Until one day, perhaps due to illness, grief, mental anguish, exhaustion, or maybe something entirely out of our control, we stop. When our striving, trying, and hustling stops, what remains?

Perhaps the truth is that we have forgotten (or maybe never realized) that we were first created in goodness. We never had to earn or push for God’s love, for you are a child of God. Your goodness has always been obvious to God. Jesus recognizes that pain and suffering are not the whole story. He sees our goodness right alongside whatever addictions, diagnoses, or family drama we struggle with. So, let’s take ourselves off the hook for being good, better, best, and settle for good enough, shall we?

O God, when the world is loud, with its judgmentalism, help me remember how embarrassingly loveable I am in Your eyes. Quiet the shame, doubt, and self-hatred. I’m ready to feel love again. Amen.