Too Good to Be True

Tough women are savvy -- they know what's what.  They are not often conned.  They are suspicious because they have been fooled before. So I wasn't surprised to see that skeptical look in Heather's eyes:  skeptical and hopeful too.


What do you mean God sees me as perfect?  She wanted to know. How could that be?


It's a ridiculous concept for those of us who know we are sinners, who have committed some pretty awful acts in these bodies to think that God-- who is perfect and complete and, oh by the way,  the Creator of the Universe,  could accept us as equally perfect?


I mean, He could have pity.  He could say -- yeah, you're messed up, but I'll let you in Heaven anyway.  That I could understand.


But perfect?


Here's one verse in Colossians:  ...He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.


Here's another:  God has utterly wiped out the written evidence of broken commandments, which always hung over our heads and has completely annulled it...


Ro 3:24 We are... freely pronounced righteous
 Utterly wiped out?  Completely annulled?  Holy and blameless?  Righteous? Without a single fault?








There are many more statements like that in the Bible:   too- good- to- be- true statements that any savvy, streetwise, skeptical tough woman would find a little hard to swallow.


What's the catch? Of course we all want to know that.  Everybody knows there is no free lunch -- nobody does nothing for nothing.


The catch is this:  you can't do anything to deserve it.  You can't work for it.  You can't earn it.  You can't compete for it.  You can't outdo someone else for it.  You can't give anything in exchange for it.  You can't DO anything.


That's enough to make a tough woman cry. 


Oh Jesus, here's the catch:  All you've got to do is let it happen.


You've got to be vulnerable.  You've got to be accepting.  You've got to be loved like you've never been loved in all of your hard-working, stressed-out, energy-sapping, heart-breaking life.


The stuff that happens after this acceptance?  That's not really up to you, either.  Once you've fallen in love, and taken His hand and said, "I do",  it's up to Him where we go next.  That's not so easy for the tough woman either.  We've been THERE before, we think to ourselves -- trusting someone who SAYS they'll take care of you but doesn't show up when it really counts.


This is different.  Remember?  When He sees you He sees nothing but love.  And -- oh by the way -- He's the Creator of the Universe.  What could go wrong?


(  Verses quoted in different versions:  Colossians 1:22, Col 2:14 , Romans 3:24)