He Loved Me Before I Decided Who I Was

I teach an online Theology class, and this is what one of my students wrote in an assignment. It really is a simple statement, but one that is so sweet, I had to write about it.

One of my favorite Bible passages is Isaiah 43:1-4
¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush^[a] and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.

I have royally messed up in my life. There are relationships that are broken that I wish weren't. I yell at my kids sometimes instead of being the loving, graceful mother they need me to be. And I certainly do not always put God first in my life.

In my 35 years of life, I have worked hard to be a good mother, wife, teacher, friend, and child of God. I love Target and Bon Jovi. I secretly want to have a Southern accent and be just like Beth Moore. And I detest crafts. Most definitely. I like to be good at everything I do and get frustrated when I am not (hence the detesting of crafts). Given all those things about me--good and bad, God loved me before I decided who I was. His love isn't contingent on what good things I do or do not accomplish. There is nothing I can do to make Him love me less, because that's how God's love is. His love for me has nothing to do with my merit--and I am incredibly thankful for that.