Years ago I sat with my journal and penned this letter from God. As the words poured out I realized that he was using this worshipful practice to pry open the dark places of my heart.
What had I been unwilling or unable to believe about how God sees me, his beloved…and desperately lacking…child?
Dear Kendra,
I’m so glad you’re my child. I have so much to show you. You’re going to love this world.
You’ll delight in books, movies, friends, dogs… You’ll have a husband you love and kids (boys! ha!) who are great.
You are smart. You are talented. You are beautiful. But (and this is a big but) these things aren’t the reason I love you.
I love you because you’re my child.
Be dumb. Waste your talent. Or be good at nothing. Fail miserably and look terrible doing it. And my love for you won’t falter for a second.
I’ll delight in you, my stupid, useless, ugly daughter because you’re mine.
It doesn’t matter what anyone else sees or thinks. I look and you and I think, “She’s lovely.”
Because you’re mine, you’re bright, intelligent, ready to learn about me.
Because you’re mine, you’re gifted for the work I’ve created for you.
Because you’re mine, you’re beautiful, lit from within by my Spirit.
I loved you enought to make you enough by Jesus’ payment on the cross.
You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. (Song of Solomon 4:7)
Walk with my, daughter, and see where I will take you.
Love,
Your Father in Heaven*
*These words are a paraphrase of God has said in his own words about his children throughout Scripture. I wrote them as a form of worship based on the book Finding Spiritual Whitespace by Bonnie Gray.
Bring It Home: Your Own Letter From God
What do you wish you’d known about God’s love for you when you were a little girl?
What verses in the Bible most speak to your heart about God’s love for you? (Great ones are Song of Solomon 4:7; 1 John 3:1, Isaiah 43:4, 1 John 4:18…and also check out this list.)
You might have found it strange when I wrote in God’s words that I was “stupid,” “useless,” and “ugly.” I included that very important sentence, with no qualifiers, because I needed to face my temptation to believe that God’s love depended somehow on my being worthy. I needed to see the words on the page, to face my desperate fear of “what if God thinks that’s true?,” and then to see that God’s love wouldn’t change. That sentence set me free from an imposter syndrome I’ve lived with my whole life!
What wrong belief about God or about yourself do you need to address in your letter from God?
Now, take a few minutes to write a letter from God for yourself. Don’t worry about what others would think; write it just for you.
My dear child,
…
Love,
Your Heavenly Father
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Check Out The Book
Finding Spiritual Whitespace
by Bonnie Gray
This book by Bonnie Gray felt like a cold drink of water for my soul. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until I took a sip. As Bonnie Gray tells us her own hard story, she walks us through writing prompts to process how God has been at work in us all our lives.
