I was ready for bed when Keri, my two-year-old granddaughter, came bouncing in. She was returning from a day at the lake, where she had been visiting her paternal grandmother. She jumped in my lap and we exchanged hugs and kisses. The next instant she was still and snuggled in my arms. I held her, thinking of how much I love her. Watching all this, my daughter said, ‘Mum, she’s filthy! Why are you letting her sit on your lap?’ I had to admit that the scent of dirt, puppies, fish, food, lake and a lot of running around radiated from her little body. Somehow, it didn’t matter to me. She didn’t need to be clean for me to love her. She didn’t need to be perfect. In fact, nothing she could do would make me love her any more or any less. I would do anything for her. The love I felt at that moment was overwhelming.

As I held her, the word filthy reminded me of Isaiah 64:6: ‘All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags’. As I thought about the verse, God flooded my soul with a new understanding. The unconditional love I felt for my grand- daughter was like the unconditional love my heavenly Father had for me. I, like Keri, go to God imperfect and, like Keri, I find love.

Prayer: Dear God, give us a deeper understanding of your unconditional love, and help us to extend love to others. Amen