Grace makes no earthly sense. It is undeserved. It is unearned. It is a gift offered to us totally based on the character of God and not our own character. It is based on his actions, not ours. It meets us in Christ when we have nothing to offer—when we feel unlovable and unworthy. It hunts us down when we feel out of control—when we feel we have no power to change. It pursues us even as we reject it.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6–8)

What is love, anyway?

We say things like “I love tacos” and “I love basketball” and also “I love you.” We watch shows where people fall in and out of love. We’re told to follow our hearts. Yet sometimes our hearts aren’t reliable in the love arena. Sometimes they don’t fill with the weighty affection they once held for a boyfriend or girlfriend. And parents? Sometimes we struggle not to roll our eyes in disrespect.

In the Romans passage today, we read about the truest and realest love available: we read about Jesus. His love is the yardstick by which we measure all other loves. As 1 John 3:16 tells us, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” Jesus is love with skin on. He is the most perfect picture of love that’s ever existed.

So what is the nature of his love? Does it depend on how good we are? Does it depend on how much we pray? Does it depend on how well we care for those around us?

The good news of the gospel is this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This love depends on him. Before we trusted him, he died for us. Before we even knew we needed him, he died for us. While we still chose to make ourselves the kings and queens of our own lives (instead of making him the King of our lives), he died for us. He loved us first, and he loved us unconditionally. This is the grace of God.

Grace makes no earthly sense. It is undeserved. It is unearned. It is a gift offered to us totally based on the character of God and not our own character. It is based on his actions, not ours. It meets us in Christ when we have nothing to offer—when we feel unlovable and unworthy. It hunts us down when we feel out of control—when we feel we have no power to change. It pursues us even as we reject it.

When we read that Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross for us, we are reading about a love that was willing to give up everything for our sake. That is how much God wanted to be in relationship with us. That is how much he wanted us to know our belovedness. He was willing to face death for us. There is no place he is not willing to go for us.

Reread the above verses from Romans 5. We are loved in our anxiety. We are not loved in spite of our anxiety. Jesus doesn’t roll his eyes at our struggle or sigh because of our inability to get over it. He doesn’t overlook it or ignore it. He sees every part of our glorious and broken selves, and he draws near to us. His grace cannot be thwarted by our fear, our worry, or our stress. His grace meets us just as we are.

When we’re rocked by the twists and turns life throws us, we can remember we are secured in God’s love by the grace of Jesus. This love will never stop pursuing us. This grace is limitless. Christ demonstrated his love for us in this: while we were still rebelling against him, he died for us. This is the Love who will never let go of us.

Breathe in: Even in my insecurity—
Breathe out: God’s love pursues me.

When have you seen or heard of undeserved love being given to someone? Your example could be from a book, a show, a movie, or real life.

An Excerpt from Anxiety: Finding the Better Story by Liz Edrington. Used with permission.