When You Feel Like a Burden
There are moments when the weight of your mistakes feels too heavy to carry. You may wonder if your past disqualifies you from receiving grace. It is easy to believe that love must be earned through perfect performance.
But consider the scene in Bethany. A woman broke an alabaster box of very precious ointment to pour on Jesus. The disciples murmured, calling it a waste because they focused on the cost rather than the heart. They judged her by their own standards of utility and propriety.
Jesus stopped them. He did not ask her to explain herself or justify her extravagance. Instead, He defended her devotion against the very people who claimed to be righteous. He saw her love before He saw her need.
And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.— Mark 14:6, KJV
The Unearned Gift of Grace
What does the Bible say about unconditional love? It reveals a love that does not wait for us to clean ourselves up first. The Bible says we were not good people, nor godly, nor righteous. We did not make the team, nor did we make the cut.
God’s love is not a reward for the virtuous; it is a gift for the broken. Just as the woman had no right to such an expensive gift, we have no right to the cross. Yet, Jesus accepted her worship not because she was worthy, but because He is loving.
He declared that she had done what she could. He validated her effort even when it seemed illogical to the observers. In your pain, you may feel you have nothing left to give. Jesus accepts what little you can offer, and He adds His own righteousness to it.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.— Romans 5:8, KJV
Rest in His Defending Love
You might be tempted to withdraw because you feel you have failed again. But Jesus’ love is not fragile. It does not break when we stumble. It stands firm against the accusations of the world and even our own inner critics.
He is trying to reset you. Sometimes we resist His grace because we feel we must earn it back. But He lifts you up in due time, not because of your strength, but because of His faithfulness.
Let Him use you. Let Him rest you. His love is not conditional on your performance. It is anchored in His character, which is unchanging and eternal.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.— Romans 8:38-39, KJV
You are never too far gone for the grace of Christ. He sees your brokenness not as a rejection, but as an invitation to rest in His unconditional love. Let go of the need to earn your place. You are already held.