Chapter 1: Come Out of Hiding

"We unwittingly project onto God our own attitudes and feelings toward ourselves... But we cannot assume that He feels about us the way we feel about ourselves-- unless we love ourselves compassionately, intensely, and freely... It takes a profound conversion to accept that God is relentlessly tender and compassionate toward us just as we are-- not in spite of our sins and faults, but with them."--- pgs 19-20

Do you ever find yourself doing this?? Projecting your feelings about yourself onto God? I know I do. I often do something and then think, "Wow.. I really screwed that up." And then instead of thinking to myself about how much God loves me and how much he cares for me and how he probably knew I'd do that anyway, I seem to get depressed and beat myself up because I must have really disappointed Him. How could he possibly love me after what I've just done? After I've lost my patience and screamed at Addyline, after I've walked past one of his homeless children without noticing, after I've done something utterly and completely selfish, how could he love me? And yet, he does. God knows everything about me-- the good and the bad-- and He loves ME!!