I one time heard a sermon on, or maybe a podcast about, how in Genesis 1 God creates and then He says, “It is good.”

“Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” Genesis 1:31 NLT

In the beginning, God declared us good.

We should start our story with realizing we are good. Our Creator blesses us and calls us good.

He loves us. And He wants to have a relationship with us. And He wants us to enjoy our lives. And He wants us to experience heaven on earth.

Too often we start our story in Genesis 3, with our mistakes, our failures, our weaknesses, with how we don’t measure up, with what is “not” good about us.

That is not where God starts our story. We should not start our story there either.

You are good. You are loved. You are accepted. You are enough. Just as you are! With all your humanness.

Henri Nouwen wrote, “…I realize that the real sin is to deny God’s first love for me, to ignore my original goodness. Because without claiming that first love and original goodness for myself, I lose touch with my true self and embark on the destructive search among the wrong people and in the wrong places for what can only be found in the house of my Father.”

…for God is love. 1 John 4:8 NKJV

God is love,… 1 John 4:16 NKJV

But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15 NLT

For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. Isaiah 54:10 NLT

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:26 NLT

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 NLT I like The Passion Translation of this verse, “Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us!”  

May we be found claiming God’s love for us!

Looking for and discovering His love for us!

Resting in His love for us!

Knowing we are good!

Believing we are loved, and enough, and valuable, just as we are, deep in our souls!

Amen.