Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:47-48 ESV
God must be exasperated with me. I can imagine Him saying, How many times must I forgive this woman? That is certainly how my human nature reacts when I must forgive someone over and over. However, God does not react that way. In Luke, Jesus forgives a woman for many sins. In turn, she loves deeply because she knows the depth of God’s grace. I can relate to this woman.
Growing up, I learned to be a perfectionist. I associated being loved with being a good girl. I transferred this principle to God—if I am good, then God will love me. If that is the case, what happens when I mess up? I became very anxious and exhausted from trying to be the perfect Christian. After getting into a cycle of sinful behavior in my twenties, God reached out to me through the words of a pastor. He explained there is nothing good I can do to make God love me more, and there is nothing bad I can do to make God love me less. God’s love is unconditional. God’s love is not based on what I do; it is based on who God is.
Because of His grace, I am able to love others more deeply–to fully comprehend and accept the immeasurable amount of grace I receive. That puts me one step closer to extending the same grace to others. God whispers to me, “Show her grace because I have shown you grace.”
Do you believe your actions have put you outside of God’s reach? God’s love for you is constant, no matter what you do. You are never out of the reach of God’s redeeming grace.
After spending over a decade in the corporate world, Allison K. Flexer quit her job to take a sabbatical. During that time, she rediscovered her passion for writing. Her articles can be seen in the Wesleyan Publishing House periodical, VISTA: Journal for Holy Living, and on www.Crosswalk.com. Allison was a contributing writer for Devotional Ventures © 2006, published by Regal Books. She blogs about her faith journey at: anointedwithgrace.com. When she is not writing, Allison loves to have deep conversations with friends over great sushi, spoil her two beautiful nieces, and pretend like she’s a runner. A graduate of Belmont University, Allison makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee.
