Just As I Am

This post originally appeared on the Woven Beautiful blog.

I’ve had my share of no shower and no make-up days especially since becoming a mom, but I still spend a little time on my hair and make-up most mornings. On my best mornings I’m able to “get ready” and even squeeze in a little quiet time with the Lord before my son arises. If my son is awake while I’m still “getting ready” he sometimes comes in my bathroom to inquire:

“Mommy, what are you doing?”

In other words, why are you staring in the mirror for so long and putting stuff of your face and brushing your hair 100 times?

Whether I’m wearing make-up or not, to my son I’m Mommy and that’s all that matters to him. He will let me snuggle, play, and read books with him regardless of what I look like. He loves me just as I am because I’m his mom who takes care of him.

It reminds me of the way Jesus invites us to come as we are. No matter how many masks we put on, He sees underneath all that anyways.

Just as I am, I can come before the Lord.

So why is so difficult to do that? Why do we often feel like we have to clean up ourselves, whether physically or emotionally, before we can present ourselves?

Woven into the message of the Gospel is the beauty of grace, and grace is getting something we don’t deserve. Grace is what Jesus modeled on the Cross and it’s what He extends to us daily.

Come as you are, just as you are.

But it’s not the message we often hear in the world. Scroll through any social media feed or turn on the television, and there are sure to be messages that feed the lie: you’re not good enough as you are.

That’s a dangerous lie that the father of lies loves to use against us.

But Jesus says come—just as you are.

And yet sometimes it’s hard to be a receiver of such amazing grace, because to be a receiver of grace to is to lie down our wounds and pride. It’s to admit that we’re broken and in need of grace, and it’s to surrender our striving or thinking that we can do something to make ourselves more worthy.

The Bible says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ~2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

That means that when Jesus lives in us, we are no longer who we once were because our sins have been blotted away with the blood of Jesus. God sees us as blameless, righteous, worthy, forgiven, redeemed, flawless, spotless—

Radiantly beautiful.

As His Daughters, this is our identity. What a beautiful blessing! Claim it, proclaim it, reclaim it if you need to. Speak Truth over yourself, not lies. Speak Truth.

Just as I am, just as you are…

Come.

Make-up or no make-up, messy hair or not, happy or sad, successful day or full of mess-ups…

Come.

Let the King show you just how beautiful you are to Him. He adores you, cherishes you, and loves you with an everlasting, unconditional, fierce Love.

You don’t have to prove a thing to the world because the King has the final say.