I have many narratives, fears, and self-judgments that are deeply embedded in my heart. A particularly nasty duo of devilish dogmas has hounded me for as long as I can recall: “You could be so much better than you are right now” and “You’ll always falter short of the finish line.”

There is an immense amount of despair caused by this unspoken standard and the belief that it’s attainable…but not for me. I suck.

Who will free me from this awful cycle of self-loathing? Thanks be to God he gives us the victory, through our lord Jesus Christ! The heart of the gospel message is that Jesus has done for me what I could never do for myself. He accepts me out of pure grace, not because of my efforts or achievements.

The issue is that I’ve got years of believing these negative narratives to deal with. Simply “accepting myself” isn’t so easy. This is why I return frequently to a section from Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe, where I find the gospel words that address my obstacles profoundly.

“The person God loves with the tenderness of a Father, the person he wants to touch and to transform with his love, is not the person we’d have liked to be or ought to be. It’s the person we are. God doesn’t love “ideal persons” or “virtual beings.” He loves actual, real people.”

I am practicing, bit by bit, to counter the condemnation of hell with truth that God loves me, the real me.

Today, I again consent to your love, Jesus. You are not naive, you are realistic, you know who I truly am and you still love me. Thank you. Sinner though I am, I will take shelter in the shadow of your wings. Amen.

Friend, Jesus loves the real you.