Hey friends,

We hope you had a great weekend and are staying safe as this storm rolls into town. I took advantage of some downtime on Saturday and went to see my nieces. My 13-year-old niece and I got so caught up talking when suddenly we heard a crash. Following the crash was a little voice from her sister saying, "don't worry, nothing broken, everything is alright!". Everything was not alright. One of the shelves with books had fallen over, and she was frantically trying to pick up all the books when we turned the corner. She was immediately embarrassed and ran to her room. We left the mess and followed her. She was upset and didn't want to talk because she thought I would yell at her. I told her it was an accident that could easily be fixed and that we were willing to help her clean it up. She was reluctant because she's a stubborn little one but eventually softened back up and let us help her fix it.

Does that sound familiar at all? I know I definitely can relate when it comes to my relationship with God. It's this weird instinct that makes you want to run and hide. This shame fills you when you’ve messed up and feel like you let God down. Yet here God is, ready to pick up the mess with us, not mad, just wanting to comfort. Imagine how many times you missed out on the comfort of God because instead of praying and talking to him, you ran and hid as if He didn't already know what was happening. We are stubborn, we are clumsy, we mess up, we make mistakes, and through it, all God is ready and waiting to rebuild with us. If only we would let Him in to carry that burden together. I worried about my niece as she hid all those thoughts from us out of fear. She was overwhelmed in a moment when she didn't need to be, but she had no idea. In hiding is where we let all those dark thoughts creep in. It's where we start to drift, and it makes coming back to God's arms harder and harder as time passes. Don't you think God worries about you too? 

This week instead of instinctively hiding, I dare you to shamelessly present yourself to God. Not when it's cleaned up, not when your life is in order, not when you've created a good routine just now. Come to Him in prayer with your broken bookshelf and scattered books. Come to Him with your broken heart and baggage. He wants to hold you, He wants to help you, and He says you're worth it even though you may not feel like it.  Let's stop hiding, and let's trust that He is everything He says He is! 

We love you and are praying for vulnerability this week.

Jesse and Marissa