I have a friend who ate bread at communion with tears raining down his cheeks. It is the broken, faltering ones to whom He comes to heal. Perfect love begets love. And gratitude. And worship. The path to wholeness starts with His love, not ours.

Jesus saw past a lady’s scandalous action of exposing her hair and kissing his feet, and He saw her love. He knew her story and could have exploited it, but He only briefly said she’d had ‘many sins’ and forgave them right there. His exquisite gentleness and grace for a broken woman makes me weep with the beauty of it.

In another exchange, Jesus talked with a man desperate for his son’s healing. The father admitted he doesn’t have as much faith as he could have: ‘Help my unbelief!’ And Jesus healed the son without demanding more faith from the father.

Those who are most aware of their sin and frailness are most thankful for Love that has swept all the dirt and imperfections away.

I love reading about the ways Jesus cared for people in gentleness and understanding. I’m unspeakably grateful that I don’t have to attain a certain level of perfection before He takes me seriously. It seems that what He values most is an honest heart with no barriers, no pretensions, and He speaks into that heart and changes it forever.