Reality is Complicated

The Real You Meets the Real God

“The only way to come to God is by taking off any spiritual mask. The real you has to meet the real God. He is a person.

Your heart could be, and often is, askew. That’s okay. You have to begin with what is real. Jesus didn’t come for the righteous. He came for sinners. All of us qualify. The very things we try to get rid of—our weariness, our distractedness, our messiness—are what get us in the front door! That’s how the gospel works. That’s how prayer works.

In bringing your real self to Jesus, you give him the opportunity to work on the real you, and you will slowly change. The kingdom comes when Jesus becomes king of your life. But is has to be your life. You can’t create a kingdom that doesn’t exist, where you try to be better than you really are. Jesus calls that hypocrisy—putting on a mask to cover the real you.

So instead of being paralyzed by who you are, begin with who you are. That’s how the gospel works. God begins with you.”

           — Paul Miller  A Praying Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2009), 33-34


Hat Tip: Of First Importance

He Cares!

I encourage you to meditate on these two verses whenever you feel discouraged. Your perception needs a dose of Scriptural reality:

“Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.”
—Psalm 142:4

"Humble yourselves . . . under the mighty hand of God,
casting all your anxieties on him,
because he cares for you.”
—1 Peter 5:6-7

Hat Tip: Who Cares? – Justin Taylor:,