This Wednesday night I sat in my mom’s living room, after an unexpected trip to Sequim. Dylan sat on her lap listening to a story in which the main character, a little bear, offered up different scenarios in which he had misbehaved. These ranged from spilling paint all over his little sister, to having a pillow fight with his friend and sending feathers flying all over the room. Following each scenario, he would ask his mother the same question, “If I did this, would you still love me?” And each time he did, his mother would answer yes, I would still love you. Every day we as people ask this same question, most of the times not out loud though. We wonder, “Will my parents still love me if they know that I cheated on a test? Would my friends love me if they know what a bad temper I have, or about my past? Will my spouse love me even when I let him or her down? Will God love me even though I keep messing up so many times?” When I was in college, I had a professor who also served as the school counselor. One day in one of our counseling classes, he posed an interesting question. “How many people that you have relationships with would stay with you if they knew everything about you—every mistake, every thought. Who would be left?” I still think about this question some times. I would like to say that my husband, mom and a couple close friends would be left, but to be honest I don’t really know if that would be the case. Would those close to me love even when ___________________ (fill in the blank with whatever sin you choose.) We as humans have criteria for those around us. Lists of attributes that make people easy to love, or difficult; this is not how it is with our God though. He has the ability to see all of us, not just the polished shiny person we present to those around us, but our whole selves, including the broken parts we try to hide. In Romans, Paul writes that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God didn’t wait for us to become acceptable or to meet His list of requirements in order to offer His love. He extends His love to us just as we are. No matter what we do, God’s answer to our question, “will you love me if___?” is always a resounding “yes!”