Just the Way You Are

I kid you not, I was singing Bruno Mars’ song: “You’re so amazing — just the way you are!” Almost simultaneously, I opened up Max Lucado’s devotional book, “Grace for the Moment”. And would you believe it? The title of that day’s devotion was “Just the Way You Are”! Now, if that’s not a divine nudge, I don’t know what is!

Max wrote: “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be like Jesus.”

Let that sink in. God’s love isn’t on a sliding scale, shifting with our good days or bad ones. He isn’t keeping score, tallying up our mess-ups. While people’s love can be fickle — praise one day, disappointment the next — God’s love is steady, unshaken, and unconditional.

But here’s the part that really grips me. He loves us as we are, but He’s not content to leave us there. Oh, how I long to be more like Jesus! And let’s be honest, staying just the way we are isn’t the goal. We can smile bigger, love deeper, forgive quicker. Every day is another opportunity to show kindness, compassion, and grace — just like Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to settle for a “good enough” version of myself. I want to reflect Christ in how I live, love, and serve. So, let’s make it our daily prayer: “Lord, shape me, stretch me, and help me be more like You.” And then, let’s put it into action.

Because while He loves us just the way we are, He loves us too much to let us stay there.

So, let’s follow the Apostle Peter’s recommendation: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:5-8‬