“Mommy, am I in trouble?”
Famous words from a boy who already knows the answer.
This time, however, the answer is no. You see, my sweet boy got sick and made a big mess EVERYWHERE in his bed. After panicked screams of shock and a need for assistance (me) and the calm, and matter-of-fact cleaning (his dad), he sat curled up on my lap as he asked me that question.
“No, Michael. You don’t get in trouble for being sick or having accidents.” Satisfied with this answer, he leans harder into me. His head is sweaty and he still has the lingering scent of a boy who just got sick, but I stroke his head and squeeze him tighter. This isn’t the first time we’ve gone over this, so my answer doesn’t surprise him a bit, but he still needed to hear it.
It makes me think of our relationship with God, how sometimes we feel like we’re going to get in trouble for not being enough, or for things beyond our control, or even for the actual mistakes we’re making. Not saying that God can’t or won’t punish people for wrongdoing, but sometimes we feel like we’re one mistake away from being zapped by God.
“Come to Me.” He says. Repeatedly.
But I’m dirty and smelly….
“Come to Me.”
But I messed up again…
“Come to Me.”
We change. We do better some days, worse on others.
But Jesus Christ, the only person who is the same yesterday, today, and forever will never stop saying those words, “Come to Me.” He hugs us in our filth and stench, but just as I still love my child when he’s a mess, He loves us anyway.
But that’s not all.
I love my child, but I’m not going to let him stay in his filthy pajamas. After a healthy dose of hugs and kisses, I clean him and I put new –clean– clothes on him. I do that BECAUSE I love him. I don’t want him to stay dirty! It also wouldn’t make sense for me to clean him off then put the dirty pajamas back on him, would it?
It’s a hard concept to grasp. God loves us AND wants us to change? How can that be? Well, you and I, and everyone in the world, have the stench of sin on us. The fact that God can look through that and see us with the loving eyes of a parent who sees their sick child is amazing. It can be hard for us to change, I mean I really like my dino pajamas AKA insert whatever sin/temptation struggle you deal with here. I don’t see what the big deal is if I keep wearing them. God does though. The ultimate good parent, God wants to clean that stench off of us because He knows that washing the sin “germs” away is more important than our attachment to our stinky pajamas.
So the next time you find yourself trying to stay in your old, stinky pajamas, remember that God loves you. He loves you as you are, but He’s just trying to clean you off a bit.
