An Open Letter

To one striving so hard to please God, yet carrying the heavy load of her imperfections:

I know you. I was once where you are: hearing God’s words, "Be holy, for I am holy" and shaking my head, so aware of my imperfection, of the hopelessness of such a command. Driven to serve God to exhaustion, knowing it still wasn’t enough. Convinced that He could not hear my prayer, through the cacophony of all my sin, in spite of all my self-improvement projects. Desperate to realize that I could never pay Him back the way He "deserved." Continually discouraged by the mixed motives, proud thoughts and selfish heart underneath every good thing I did for Him. The burden of serving God with a pure heart was heavier than I realized.

Until five years ago, when He pried my fingers away from that burden, and it dropped and shattered. I understood what I hadn’t for so long: not only did Jesus rescue me from judgment for my sin, not only did He pave the way for a relationship between me and God, but He is — at this very moment — living within me. At this very moment, and forever.

While it’s true that He has called you to holiness, it’s also true that Christ in you has already become your righteousness, your holiness and your redemption (1 Cor 1:30). While it’s true that only a blameless person can come before Him, you have already been declared blameless by Him, because of Him (1 Thess 5:23-24)! You are already worthy to approach God because you have Jesus’ holiness (2 Cor 5:21 & Rom 8:3-4). You are invited to come to Him boldly, with confidence, because Jesus has made you clean (Heb 10:22 & 4:16). He will not turn you away.

He will never love you anymore than He does today, and He has never loved you any less. He loved you when you were his enemy (Rom 5:8) and how much more He loves you now that He has called you His child (1 John 3:1)! His provision for your sin and for mine is more than enough in Christ (2 Cor 12:9). He hears your prayers not because of your perfect obedience, but because of the perfect obedience of His Son.

Because of what Jesus did for you, and is now doing in you as He grows you into Jesus’ beautiful image, you are declared perfect in God’s sight. In the eyes of your perfectly holy Father, you are His holy child.

".... because by one sacrifice
he has made perfect forever
those who are being made holy."
(Hebrews 10:14)