Loved by God

 


“Prayer is taking a chance that against all odds and past history, we are loved and chosen, and do not have to get it together before we show up.” Anne Lamont

I stopped and reread that sentence when it appeared on my screen. It seemed so real and true, yet it was something I don’t always think of. Even when we are scattered and ashamed and broken, God loves and chooses us. Such a comforting realization.

I wonder how many people in prison for a terrible crime, or who have done a shameful deed, or who have yelled at God for letting their child die or allowing them to have a deadly disease, or who have endured other awful experiences believe that they are still loved by God.

I wonder how Judas felt after betraying Jesus. He did try to give back the 30 pieces of silver, but he still hanged himself. He could not undo his terrible deed, but if we believe in a loving God, we know that God forgave him.

Each one of us is loved by God, who like a doting mother, loves us not as clump of people, but as separate individuals. We don’t have to be all clean and shiny, but we are loved through all the messiness of our lives. God wants to hear about our true feelings with no pretense or cover-up.

So, as Anne Lamont reminds us, “prayer is our sometimes real selves trying to communicate with the Real, with Truth, with the Light.”  Amen.

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