He’s a man I haven’t liked very much, whom I’ll call Marc. He brags about his accomplishments and his words sound impressive. I wouldn’t say he lied, only that he overextended the truth. I could list a few of his weaknesses, but the point is that I felt a bit smug in my attitude toward him. I did things; mostly he talked about doing them. When I compared myself to Marc, I felt a trifle superior (okay, a lot superior). I realized my attitude was wrong and each day I prayed for him. I often said, “God, I know you love Marc, but…”

One pre-dawn morning while I was running, I heard myself say, “God, I know you love me as much as you love Marc.” As I listened to my own words, I stopped on the darkened street and sat down on the pavement for several minutes. I begged God to forgive me for my proud attitude. The truth came through to me. God’s love and blessings aren’t about achievements or the lack of them.

As strange as it may sound, when I rephrased my thinking to remind myself that God loved me as much as he loved Marc, deep peace came over me. God loves Marc. His achievements (or lack of them) are between God and him. That’s part of what makes divine grace so wonderful.

Every morning since then, I’ve continued to pray for Marc and each time I say, “And thank you, God, that you love me as much as you love Marc.”