We fall into God’s loving embrace when we stop denying and excluding the dark parts of our self.
We don’t come to God by eliminating our imperfections, but by humbly embracing them because they make us aware of our need for God’s mercy and love and keep us humble.
St. Therese called this the way of being aware of our need for love, willing to give our self to God’s loving embrace like a child abandons itself with confidence and love into the arms of its loving parent. It is the willingness to be the person God calls us to be.
Yes, it is natural for us to be upset with our own faults and weaknesses, but If we are willing to bear the trial of being displeased with our self, then we could be a pleasant place of shelter for Jesus. If we observe our self, we will see how hard it is to be “displeased” with our self, and that this is the initial emotional setback that sends us into terribly bad moods without even realizing the origins of these moods.
To resolve this common problem, we need to learn to let go of the very need to “think well of our self” to begin with, for that is our ego talking, not God. We need to find the willingness to surrender our foundational egocentricity.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
