Carefully crafted - unabashed love

    

 There is an old joke that speaks of a marriage where one spouse is constantly trying to change the other. Years later, after some success, the unhappy spouse proclaims "you're not the person I married".

     Isn't it wonderful when someone accepts you just for who are, just as you are? Sadly, it seems like a  somewhat rare occurrence. There is too much judging going on. It happens on every level. Someone's personal beliefs, actions, life story, a person's mistakes, what they wear, what they drive, where they live. It covers all the points of a news story, who, what, when, where, why. We clamor to be accepted as we are or "as it is".

      God is the only one that accepts us as we are, as it is. It is funny too. God sees all and knows all, sees our hearts, our immaturity and our mistakes. God sees all the chinks in the armor, all the so called flaws. Still, God loves is with reckless abandon and accepts us just as we are. There must be something really good within or we must have done something good in our life for God to love us so and accept us as we are. 

         When we think of holy people, content, spiritual leaders of our world, one of their defining attributes is their ability to see past any superficial and worldly things. They see through the material or the 'assigned' and go straight to the beauty of a person's soul.  They accept people 'as they are'.

        What we are seeing in the "as it is" acceptance is that there is an innate beauty in everyone. Beyond the superficial, beyond what we may have done, disregarding where we live, went to school, what we drive. All of that is irrelevant. "As it is" people see the glory of a creature carefully crafted by God with a worth beyond jewels. This is what we are called to be and how we are to act. The world tells us one thing, God proclaims another with unabashed acceptance and love of each and every one of us - just as we are.

     

Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name. 

Your kingdom come.
   Your will be done,
     on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our debts,
     as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
     but rescue us from the evil one.