Performance

So, this morning, I was taking advantage of my three day snow day (ridiculous! one day was great, two days were good, a bit of cabin fever though, but three days? Come on now. That's just called "not wanting to go to work tomorrow") and I slept in until about 9:30. I always sleep with the radio on. I don't know why, but I just do. Anyway, I was listening to 100.7 KGBI, a Christian radio station and there happened to be a talk-show going on when I woke up. A lady was telling a story....

There was a woman who had a son, about 3 or 4 years old, and he had a severe mental disorder. One morning, this lady was washing the dishes up after breakfast. Her son was sitting there, drooling, with food all over his face. As she washed the dishes, she was praying and God asked her something. 
"Do you love your son?"
"Why, yes, of course I do."
"Why do you love him? He can't "perform" for you. He won't be able to walk at his graduation, he won't be able to get married, won't be able to give you grandchildren. WHY do you love him?"
"Well, I love him because he is mine."
"And that, daughter, is how I feel about you."

You see, we will never be able to "perform" for God. Nothing we do is ever "good enough" for God. "Performing" isn't how we "win" God over. God loves us because we are His ! The Bible says that every "righteous" thing we do, is just a dirty rag in God's eyes. (Isaiah 64:6) No "good work" will make Him love us any more than He already does. And you guys, I can't even begin to describe His love for us. We can't even imagine it! It makes me shiver!! (well, that and the fact that my room is an icebox :-p )
I guess that story just kind of hit me and I've been thinking about it all day so I wanted to share it. And I'm not saying that our "good works" don't mean anything, cuz they do! But, I feel like so many people out there think they aren't "good enough" or they are required to do a certain amount of good things in their lives, when in reality, that is not the case! We just need to believe in Jesus Christ, love Him, and allow ourselves to be loved. Which, sometimes, is easier said than done.