Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

It’s easy to think about God when we feel like we are measuring up to his standards. But the moment we are reminded of the ways we’ve fallen short, we project our feelings of disappointment in ourselves, onto God, and we retreat. We think God won’t want to hear from us, or even accept us, until we fix what we got wrong.

Our failures are reminders that we need grace. We need what we cannot earn, which is God’s relentless, unending, and unwavering love. When God looks at us, he only sees the perfection of Jesus. That’s why God’s grace is bigger than any mistake, misstep, or failure. When we feel the weight of falling short, we can come to God confidently on the basis of what he has done for us through Jesus, which is to forgive us thoroughly and to love us unconditionally.

How can you allow your failures to push you closer to Jesus?

Consider praying today: “God, help me remember that because of your grace, I can be confident that you will always love me and never leave me, no matter what I do or don’t do.”