Still

He sees

all of my brokenness and wrong and yet

Still

loves me. Keenly. He knows

full well the endless selfishness of my heart.
The blatant glory stealing yet

Still

wants to spend time with me

He knows me too well

To be taken in by the excuses and pretending
The posturing that fools even me (some of the time)

He is wholly aware

That I say one thing and do another - that envy and bitterness
Deceit and anger are as native to my heart
As blood and oxygen

And the ugliest things -  that I can't bear to look at
The wilful snatching at his blessings while pushing him away
The stamping on his grace
My most arrant failures - the out-and-out evil

have never come as a surprise.

Still he says:

Come and have dinner
Come have some of this water

Come here

Here where you are known
Completely. Seen, understood, heard, loved.
And wanted - still.

He says

Come join in my banquet.
Come share in my honour
Come wear this purity you could never have earned
Come be my daughter.

Still he says:

You cannot change my mind. You cannot go too far.

I chose you before the world was formed

Still

Died for you while you were a sinner

Still

Live to present you without fault or blemish

Still

Sin, Satan, all your soul's own sickness
your past, your present, your future failures
can rage their worst

You will be mine still
You will be safe still
You will whole still

You will be loved

Still.


"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8