Clothesline - Edition 211

By Rev. Elizabeth L. Nelson, Pastor

July 31, 2024  

There is a Christian song by Ryan Stevenson that I find myself humming and singing quite a bit. I even wake up with the lyrics running around in my head. It’s called “Just as you are.” It’s got a special syncopated beat to it; you can’t sit still when you hear it. But it’s the message that brings joy and peace to the Christian heart. And I found myself thinking about it following Sunday’s Old Testament reading.

Taken from Second Samuel, the reading was the beginning of David’s complicated fall from grace, how he sleeps with another man’s wife and has her husband killed to cover up a resulting pregnancy. Can sin get any worse than that? Such actions are indeed horrific, but we easily forget: sin is sin. In the human mind, there are levels of sin, but to God…sin is sin. In the human mind, consequences for bad behavior are determined by the level of sin, but to God…sin is sin. Yet, our God loves, forgives, holds us in his arms, and reminds us that we are never forsaken, that we are loved…just the way we are.

The lyrics to the song say “I’ve’ been wasting too much time, spinning my wheels, thinking that there’s something I could do to be more loved by You.” What does it mean to be more loved? That’s an interesting thought; you’re either loved or you’re not loved, right? But don’t we sometimes think if we act kindly to an annoying person, for example, it will somehow “win us points?”

That’s exactly why I love this song. We can’t earn God’s affection. We are precious to him…just the way we are. In a world that rewards achievement by how smart you are, how much money you earn, how many customers you have and how big your business is, it’s hard to accept that WE…ARE… LOVED…PERIOD.

So quit trying to be perfect. You can’t earn God’s love; you already have it. When we hear more of David’s story and how God deals with David’s sin, we see the neon sign that once read “Sinner” changed to “Saved by grace.” Just like in the song, when the sorted story comes to an end, the relationship between God and David is redeemed. Once again David is told he is precious, he is loved, and he is held in the arms of his Maker.

We have a forgiving, loving God. With sin comes consequences, but love never ends. I don’t know about you, but that helps me put one foot in front of the other every day of my life…to know that I am loved…just the way I am.