A Kiss from Rose | God Can

Can you love the ugly parts

Can you love the unimaginable parts of a person

The parts that don’t line up with who you thought they were

Their struggles

Their flaws

Their crooked smiles

Their traumas and triggers

Their generational curses

The days they have a bad attitude

When they are not so friendly

Not so clean

Not so presumably perfect

On the days they make bad choices

When the decisions aren’t the best

When the family isn’t perfect

When the money is funny

On the days the crying seems to never end

When the home is not a priority

When you may not be a priority

When they do the complete opposite of what you would do

When you see the bones and skeletons in the closet

Can you love through

Lack of compassion

Lack of kindness

Untruthful days

Unconfident days

Selfish days

Mean days

Mentally challenging days

Emotionally challenging days

Physically challenging days

The jobless days

The no work days

The carless days

The drunk days

The high days

The kids are a problem days

The world is a problem days

You are the problem days

When no one knows what the problem is…

Pause.

Has anyone ever loved your ugly parts

Has anyone ever loved you through even one of these things

Answer truthfully.

Not scanning the list to see which one does not apply to you.

Not defending yourself.

Not editing your image.

Just answer.

Because the truth is, every single one of us has had days that were not polished.

Days we were difficult.

Days we were wrong.

Days we were wounded and bleeding on people who did not cut us.

Days we were not the version we post.

And here is the part that pulls at your conscience

You want grace for your ugly days

But you struggle to extend grace to someone else’s

You want understanding when you are spiraling

But you withdraw when someone else is unraveling

You want someone to see beyond your behavior

But you define others by theirs

That tension you feel reading this

That quiet conviction rising in your chest

That is truth tapping on your shoulder

Because love is easy when it is pretty

It is simple when it is convenient

It is light when it is returned

But real love

The kind that costs something

The kind that holds on

The kind that does not flinch when it sees the scar

That kind of love is rare

And this is where it becomes powerful

God has loved you through every single one of your ugly parts

Unconditionally

Unapologetically

Undeniably

Every day

He has watched you fail and still called you chosen

Watched you fall and still called you worthy

Watched you hide and still called you beloved

He did not withdraw when you were messy

He did not abandon you when your money was funny

He did not turn His face when your attitude was sour

He did not cancel you when your choices were questionable

He stayed

Right where you were

Not waiting for you to clean up

Not waiting for you to become perfect

Not waiting for your skeletons to disappear

He loved you in the middle of it

So the real question is not just

Can you love the ugly parts

The real question is

Will you

Because if you have ever been loved through yours

If God has covered you on your worst day

Then you understand

God can

And if you are being honest

That might be the only reason you are still here

Loved

Covered

And not consumed by your own ugly parts

Sit with that

And let it soften you

Not harden you

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“Judging is easy. Loving is hard when the wedge of judgement is wedged in the midst.” - Alston Shropshire