A little devotion inspired by my dogs...

I have two dogs.

One is older and, at one point in his life, decided cat excrement was a gourmet treat.

The younger one has apparently decided the older dog's excrement is even better.

As gross as that is... I still love them both.

I can look at them and think, "You two are absolutely disgusting!" But their behavior doesn't change the fact that they're mine. I don't stop loving them because they occasionally do things that make me cringe.

And somewhere in the middle of laughing (and trying not to gag), I realized something about God's love for us.

Sometimes... we're the messy one.

Isaiah 64:6.

"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (NKJV)

We do things we know we shouldn't. We fall into the same old habits. We make poor choices. We say things we wish we could take back. If we're honest, there are moments when our lives don't reflect the One we belong to.

Yet God doesn't stop loving us.

Our behavior doesn't determine our value to Him.

That doesn't mean He approves of everything we do. A loving Father corrects His children. He calls us to repentance. He lovingly shapes us to become more like Christ.

But correction is not the same as rejection.

God can be grieved by our choices while never withdrawing His love.

And maybe that's something we need to remember about other people, too.

We can recognize that someone's actions are wrong without deciding they have no worth.

We can set healthy boundaries without hatred.

We can walk away without bitterness.

We can refuse to join someone else's mess without forgetting they're someone Christ loves.

After all, God loved us when we were still a mess ourselves.

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Today, I'm thankful that God doesn't look at me and say, "I'm done with you."

He sees me completely. He knows every failure, every weakness, every wrong turn. He lovingly corrects me... and He still calls me His own.

Lord, help me to see people the way You see them, not excusing sin, but never forgetting their value. Thank You for loving me enough to correct me, forgive me, and call me Yours. Amen.