My dog wouldn’t relax.

He was fed, he had gone potty, and he had his favorite blanket. Despite me thinking I’d given him everything he needed, the restlessness persisted.

Finally, I sat on the floor and draped a blanket across my lap. Monty wandered over, curled up beside me, and fell asleep.

The whole time I was focused on what I thought he needed. Meanwhile, he simply needed to be near me. I met him where he was at.

That moment reminded me of Jesus.

We spend countless hours worrying about what we think we need. We tell ourselves we need to be stronger, have more faith, clean up our mistakes, or get our lives together before coming to God. But Jesus continually shows us something different throughout Scripture — He meets people where they are.

He met the woman at the well in the middle of her brokenness. He met Zacchaeus in a tree. He met fishermen in their boats and doubting disciples behind locked doors.

Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“

Jesus doesn’t wait for us to become perfect before drawing near. He comes to us in our mess, our questions, our fears, and our restlessness. He invites us to bring those things to Him, just as we are.

Maybe today you’ve been carrying a burden you think you need to fix before approaching God. If so, take heart: Jesus is not waiting for a better version of you. He’s waiting for you.

What area of your life do you need to invite Jesus into today?

With gratitude,

Lauren