“I love you for all that you are.”

These words came out as I tucked my sweet, curly-headed boy into bed.

I’ve never said that before.

It just kind of came out.

I had to stop and think to understand if I really could say that and mean it.

I love imperfectly, but I meant what I said.

Words carry weight and power.

Sometimes I forget that.

“I love you for all that you are.”

This has been said to me, too.

I struggle to believe it is true.

But he who said it first, means it and carries it out with a perfect love.

He doesn’t make lists about traits he wishes he could swap out.

He doesn’t hold my personality flaws against me.

He doesn’t shame me because I am impatient, inconsistent or undisciplined.

He doesn’t hold past choices against me and say,

“You should have known better”.

Again and and again he says, “I love you for all that you are”.

This is perfect love – a love so immense it sees my failures and flaws…

and draws me close anyway.

This perfect love is a safe place for my heart…

A place where my vulnerability is not a liability, but a place to begin.

In perfect love, there’s room for my imperfection.

Imperfect me is loved for all that I am and all that I am not…

In perfect love, there’s room for growth.

There is freedom in this love.

Freedom to be who I am…

but also a freedom to allow his love to fill in the g a p s.

I have g a p s.

We all have g a p s.

There’s no shame in that.

It just means we need a perfect love to help us be

the best conduit of love that we can be.

I can be more patient, consistent and disciplined…

But it isn’t going to happen out of my own strength.

Only perfect love can help me be all that I can be.

Only perfect love can help me love

my curly-headed, sweet boy for all that he is.

When I allow myself to be loved for all that I am,

I show my children what it looks like to be loved by a perfect love.

I want my greatest joy to be in the fact that

imperfect me is loved with a perfect love.

I want to love out of this…because of this.

“I love you for all that you are.”

He really means it.