Are You Good Enough?

by Annie Yorty

I have a friend who cleans her home to get ready for someone she pays to houseclean. I used to work with a guy who scrubbed his car before heading to the car wash. In the same way, have you ever tried to fix yourself up to be good enough for God’s love? Let’s explore this vital question as we enter the month on the calendar dedicated to love.

Polished Stones

When I hike, I often come back with a heavier load than I had at the beginning of the trail. That’s because I collect rocks. My habit extends even to the other side of the world. One year when I was in Divnogorsk, a charming village in eastern Siberia, I picked up stones and carried them all the way back home in my luggage. (Shhhh! Don’t tell the airport inspectors.) Even though they’re dull, dirty, and rough, I find the muted colors, speckles, and veins fascinating. I love the feel of a stone in the palm of my hand.

I may have inherited this interest from my Uncle Bob. He, too, collected rocks, but he spent the time and effort to enhance them in a rock tumbler. The rocks rotate with sand and other gritty irritants over the course of days or weeks to smooth and polish them until they shine. When they’re finally finished, red jasper, agate, marble, feldspar, quartz, and other sleek beauties gleam.

The tumbler transforms them from mere stones into gems. When Uncle Bob went to be with Jesus, my aunt gave me several of his pretty pebbles to treasure along with my memories of him.

Polished People

Some folks think they need to be cleaned up and polished like Uncle Bob’s rocks before they will be acceptable to God. Before He will love them. So He will bless them.

This perception of God’s love completely misrepresents His character and will rob you of a rich and satisfying life.

The beginning premise that we need transformation is correct. A shroud of sin passed down from generations since the beginning of time obscures the image of God that He placed within us at conception. God fully understands this problem.

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. (Psalm 139:1 NLT)

The psalmist points out that God knows every dark nook and cranny of our hearts.

Does God’s complete knowledge of your heart make you a bit uncomfortable? While I long to be known, I sometimes squirm at the fact that my secret thoughts and motives lie bare before God.

Then I continue reading the same psalm.

You [God] go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! (Psalm 139:5-6 NLT)

God’s hand of blessing—His love—rests upon me despite the sin lurking in the recesses of my heart!

In the New Testament, Paul writes more about God’s unconditional love.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT)

Are You Good Enough?

Do you feel God’s unconditional love drawing your heart to Him? Have you resisted because you don’t feel good enough in comparison to His perfection?

God does not require you to be good enough to approach His throne to ask for mercy. You may come as you are. His love for you in your rough, unpolished state depends solely on His character and will. His acceptance of you depends only on your response to His unconditional love expressed through the sacrifice of Jesus, His Son.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).

You can read more about this at Steps to Peace with God.

If you’ve already received peace with God by ducking under the covering of Jesus’ blood and righteousness, God accepts you without conditions. There, you are good enough. You may dwell with Him as one who is completely righteous.

Sometimes that truth is hard to believe because you still sin. So do I.

Your sin is not pleasing to God, but you are.

Let that sink in for a minute.

You are pleasing to God.

He loves you.

Unconditionally.

That’s why God lovingly performs the necessary cleansing and transformation according to His specially designed plan for your holiness.

God tumbles you like a rock in every experience, every struggle, every joy, and every temptation to sanctify you, to make you more holy and reveal the beauty of His image within you.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son . . . (Romans 8:28-29 NLT)

God is polishing His gem—that’s you—because you’re good enough to sparkle with Him in heaven for all eternity.

Join the conversation:

Do you have a favorite way to express gratitude for God’s unconditional love for you?

I welcome your comments!

Copyright ©2023 Annie Yorty