Have you ever been hopeful that someone would give their life to the Lord, but they do not feel ready yet? This often has to do with the feeling of inadequacy. Perhaps they do not feel like they are in a place where God could accept them as they are. Maybe they feel too weighed down by sin, too distracted by the world, or too unworthy of a deep relationship with God Almighty. What about those who have been baptized already? They can fall into the same ruts of inadequacy, feeling unworthy of mercy, forgiveness, and relationship. They can feel that God is only going to forgive and transform those who are more “successful” in their spiritual lives.
Is this idea that we need to be “better” to deserve God’s love accurate? Absolutely not! This approach to our relationship with God is a detrimental and heartbreaking way of viewing God’s love. Whenever we come to see God’s love as something to be earned, then I believe that we have forgotten the whole point of mercy and forgiveness. You see, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8). He did not die for us once we got our lives in order. He did not die for us once we started following all His commands. It was while we had our backs turned to Him, while we were lost, confused, and broken. That’s real, unconditional love. That is the mercy we have been given, not the mercy we deserve.
When you wake up in the morning and find yourself in a dark room, you realize it’s time for a change. You can’t live your day in the darkness, so it’s time to get the shadows out and bring the light in. But what if you decided that you were going to chase the shadows out of the room first, to make room for the light to come in? If this is your mindset, you will be stuck in a continuous and exhausting endeavor of fighting the shadows to no avail. We all know the only way to chase away the darkness: we must first turn on the light, open the shutters, and let the light fill the room. As the light is let in, the shadows are pushed out. That is the only way it works. And yet, many of us are trying to chase the shadows out by ourselves.
Sometimes we try to get the shadows of evil out of our lives first so that we can make room or “be worthy” of a relationship with God. If fixing the sin in our lives is something we can do on our own, then what’s the point of Jesus’ sacrifice at all? “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast,” (Ephesians 2:8). Does a relationship require work? Yes! Does coming to Jesus require action? Yes! “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). That does not mean, however, that we will ever earn or deserve God’s mercy by who we are or what we do.
If you feel this way, focus on God’s unconditional love and transformative power. If you know someone who is being held back from a relationship with God because of their fear of not knowing enough, not being good enough, or not being in a “good place” spiritually, then understand this: Jesus is the perfect answer! For those who have been baptized but still don’t feel like they’re enough–Jesus is the answer and growth comes as a result. Jesus’ sacrifice is for people who can’t do it on their own, for people who aren’t good enough, and for people who need help chasing the shadows out of their lives. The more light we let in, the more shadows will be driven away. The more we come to know Jesus, the more God’s Spirit transforms us. We can’t do it on our own, so turn the light on first and let Christ do what only He can do.
—Joshua Brown