God Still Loves Me, Even if I Eat Nachos. {A True Story.}

I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect.

And the last time I checked I was a human being and incapable of perfection.

So why do I still expect so much from myself? I'm going to fail, going to falter. Then, when perfection isn't obtained, the guilt quickly takes up the space I'd reserved for all of my perfect deeds.

In recent weeks I've decided to dedicate some things to God. This includes a certain time of prayer and fasting.

But yesterday.

It just didn't happen.

I was tired. I was, yes I'll say it, hormonal. I wasn't feeling prayer or fasting. I was weak in mind and weak in body.

And there was no follow-through of the spiritual goals I'd set for the day. I ate graham crackers, cookies, several pieces of chocolate.

Nachos.

I ate nachos.

My day of perfectly diligent spirituality did not go as planned.

And, you know what? That's okay.

My six year old son came into my classroom at the end of the school day. We sat at my reading table and pulled out his homework. As he unscrambled spelling words and completed a place value worksheet my momma-eyes soaked him in. His sweet face that looks so much like his daddy, but with my blue eyes. His awesome curly blonde hair that automatically makes him the coolest person in any room. I was awash in love. I pulled him close and kissed him. Hugged him. Told him how special he was.

That's how I look at you, beloved.

And my imperfect heart with imperfect intentions was struck.

I am loved just as I am. On my good days, on my bad days, on my faithful days, on  my failure days.

I am loved.

You are loved.

There is nothing in this world or out of this world that can separate us from God's love. Read Romans 8:31-39 with me:

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.

We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

We have been embraced by perfect love and thereby set free from any pressure we may put on ourselves. Because those things that can't separate us from God? That includes us. Sometimes we're our own worst enemy, thinking we're falling short and feeling guilty for it.

Friends, we do fall short. We all fall short every day. Romans 3:23 tells us all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. Perfection isn't ours. Perfection belongs to our precious Jesus who loves us with such abandon that He abandoned everything to claim us. Romans 3 goes on to say that even though we fall short we are still justified freely by the grace of Christ Jesus.

So strive for goodness, yes. Do the tasks that God has commanded, yes. Carry your cross, yes. But on those days where you didn't quite hit the mark and you ate the nachos, know that you are loved still.

Perfectly imperfect you. Perfectly loved by perfect grace.