And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.
1 John 4:17-19

Dear God, there are some people I love this much, but somehow I cannot convince them of it. Somehow, they think I’m sitting here, ready to judge them even though I’ve told them my only desire is to cheer them on. I just want the best for them. But it’s like their shame for things I don’t even know about is keeping them from me.

My first thought as I write this is to question whether or not I’ve truly loved them this way because the evidence suggests that they have not experienced that kind of love from me. But my next thought is that we are the same way with you. Going back to the Garden, Adam and Eve hid from you. Not because you loved them conditionally, which you didn’t, but because they were ashamed before you.

Of course, there are others that I do live imperfectly. In fact, I live everyone imperfectly. Even those I was mentioning earlier. But if perfect love expels all fear, then I pray that you will teach me to live perfectly and to accept your perfect love.

Father, I know I’ll never do anything perfectly this side of Heaven. I just want to get better tomorrow than I am today. I want to be better today than I was yesterday. Help me learn to accept your perfect love. And help those who are self-imposing conditional love from me to see that it is really unconditional. That I am a source of unconditional love for them. Take away their fear. Heal their wounds. Be their God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen