This entry, like the Psalms, gives us permission to be human. It’s okay to feel all the feels, even if there is no logical explanation. God loves us just as we are.
I am thinking of David, a prolific psalmist, who lived his life with passion across the spectrum of human experience. He prayed hard, he fought hard, he loved in a big way, he sinned in a big way, he repented with his whole being, and he rejoiced with his whole being. The biblical accounts of David’s life reveal many choices that were not ethical. Yet, David is described in both the Old Testament (I Samuel 13:14) and the New Testament (Acts 13:22) as being chosen by God because he was “a man after his own heart.”
How wonderful that God sees what is in our hearts and loves us just the way we are, even when we make choices that are not ideal!
How can we use our joy of faith to show the kind of openness and acceptance to others that God offers to us?
I think it begins with empathetic listening, a heart that intentionally doesn't judge, and a willingness to see another side.