God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. 1 John 4:17–18 (MSG)
Do you ever avoid God?
Sometimes I used to think God was unhappy with
me—that I was failing to live up to his expectations—so I would avoid spending time with Him. Eventually, I realized that He wasn’t condemning me; it was just my own conscience. It’s natural to feel guilty when you’ve done wrong, but I was allowing shame and condemnation in, which are not from God.
Shame makes you feel flawed at the core. It causes you to feel hopeless—like there’s something wrong with you or that you’ll never measure up—and it makes you think you can’t go to God for help. The truth is that God is not pointing out your flaws. He won’t jump on your mistakes or meet you with an “I told you so.” God accepts you, as messed up or as imperfect as you may think you are.
As you start to understand and experience the love God has for you, you begin to place your focus in the right place. In other words, you let God’s Word and His love for you define your identity instead of letting your mistakes and flaws determine who you are. You focus on the fact that He’s empowering you to always do better, not from a place of condemnation, but from a place of love.
God has always wanted a relationship with you. He loves you unconditionally. You can talk with Him anytime and He won’t judge you. He’s your loving Father God who will never leave you or forsake you.