ⓖⓡⓐⓒⓔ。

If you feel far from God today – He’s okay with that. You can draw near Him and tell Him, “I feel far. I don’t believe. It’s not like it was.“ Jesus welcomes your doubts, confusion, frustrations, and questions. He invites you in any and every condition.

If you’re mad at God today – He’s okay with that. He made those emotions. They have a purpose as much as you do. You can vent to Him. He can handle it. He doesn’t want you to pretend. He hears when no one else does.

If you’ve messed up today – He’s still rooting for you. He still wants to work on this with you. He will receive you the very second after you mess it up. Your moment of defeat matters less than the moment right after. He has grace to pick you up, to dust you off, to keep you moving. Choose grace.

If it’s all upside-down and life has been unfair – He grieves with you too. He is just as mad about it as you are. He will not lecture you or moralize your pain. In the depths, He is deeper still. When you cry out, so does He.

If you don’t like yourself today – God loved you before you stepped into the room. God pre-approved of you before you did a single thing. His heart does not rest on your talents or looks or wealth or abilities. He is truly unconditional. He paid all conditions.

A reminder. You are loved. You might have heard that a million times, but it’s no less true.

You do have a Creator. He is with you. He is bigger than your situation and closer than your deepest hurt. He’s not mad. He is cheering for you and rooting for you this very second. He’s okay about all the things before. He sent His Son for that very reason.

You can put down the blade. You can leave your abuser. You can quit replaying those regrets in your head. You can quit the inner-loop of self-condemnation. You can forget your ex. You can leave that bad theology. You can leave that group, that place, that church that has harmed you for years. You can walk away from the things and people that destroy you. You can have the courage to stand up for justice in the street, in your office, in your home. You can forgive your parents. You can forgive your children. You can draw boundaries and say no. You can love your body. You don’t have to sit in the back. You don’t have to prove your worth to the people you’ve supposedly let down. You don’t have to live up to everyone else’s vision for your life. You are more than your hometown rumors. You are more than how you are treated in the news, by so-called authorities. You are more than your worst mistake, from years ago or yesterday. You are more than all that has happened to you.

You are always more. You are finally, finally free. You are loved. I am loved. As much as I love you, dear friend, He loves you infinitely more.

Believe it. Walk in it. Walk with Him. God is in the business of breathing life into hurting places. This is what He does, even for the least likely like you and me.