By ANDREA GOEBEL
GOD’S WAY
“I know what I can wear: the green dress we bought from the consignment store!” My daughter ran down the hallway toward me in a flurry of excitement.
I cringed inwardly. Not that one.
It was a beautiful dress, emerald green with a velvet bodice and fuzzy white trim on the sleeves and skirt. But it was a Christmas dress, and this was not Christmas. True, the dress would match the color scheme for the school spirit day, but I didn’t think she should wear it.
I justified my thoughts aloud: “I haven’t washed it yet.” “It’s a Christmas dress.” “You might get hot.”
None of my excuses deterred her.
“Can you wash it before school?” “Everyone will love it!” “It’s fine; I won’t get hot.”
As our squabbling continued, I wondered what was holding me back from saying yes to my daughter’s request. I quickly realized it was my own insecurity; I didn’t want her to look out of place compared to other kids, and I didn’t want to be thought of as a mom who couldn’t help her child dress appropriately for the occasion.
The truth hurt as I recognized how often I gave God similar excuses when I let doubt dictate my actions.
One morning not too long before, I had debated attending the school Mass after dropping my daughter off for the day. Rationalizations on why not to attend ran rampant through my mind:
“I’m not dressed well enough to attend Mass. What will people think?”
“I have goals for the day. Attending church would set my schedule back.”
“My son might not tolerate the shift in plans. What if he acts up?”
Unfortunately, I listened to the voice of fear and passed up the opportunity to attend Mass and receive the precious gift of Christ in the Eucharist.
The devil is crafty; he will do everything he can to stop us from pursuing God, including trying to convince us that we are not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence.
Yet, that is Jesus’ call to us: to come as we are, humbly, to meet Him at the foot of the cross. We are sinners in need of a savior.
Matthew 11:28 beckons, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
God doesn’t want us to pretend to be perfect; He wants us to give Him our brokenness so He can make us whole.
It doesn’t matter how the world views us; what matters is how God sees us.
1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us, “God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart.”
Whether we appear put together when we’re really falling apart; whether we attend Mass every week or haven’t been in years, God just wants us to offer ourselves to Him purely and genuinely.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
I’m so thankful I opened my heart to hear God’s message that morning when I told my daughter I would wash the dress and bring it to school so she could wear it for her spirit activity that afternoon.
“Yes!” She laughed giddily and her eyes shone brightly.
My daughter knows and loves who she is: the sweet, silly, sometimes-sassy girl God created her to be.
God desires the same spirit for all of His children: that we embrace our unique, God-given image, and we come to Him, our Father, just as we are.