Many people spend their childhoods and indeed their lives trying to win the approval of their fathers. They don't aspire to know his love. They just want the odd "well done" or not to be a disappointment.
And it's often the same when people come to God. They don't realise that God loves and accepts them as they are. If they never change, his love will stay the same.
But as we come to know God his light tends to make us aware of our flaws, our faults, our shouldna-oughta-done-thats, and we want to change. Not because he will punish us if we don't and not to try to earn God's love - as I said he loves us as we are - but because when you love someone you want to be the very best you can for that person.
I saw on Facebook last week a link to an article titled something like "why you're not perfect as you are". I didn't read the link because our internet connection was unreliable but it caused me to ponder.
I am guilty of saying to people, "you are perfect just as you are," because I want to reassure and encourage them but I realise what I should be saying is "come to God as you are because he loves you as you are."
What happens next is between you and God. For most of us that means wanting to try to change but failing again and again. There are some things about me I fear will never change. They are qualities I am not proud of but I know one thing: I'm not perfect but I am loved.
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