Damaged Goods

Although I'm a perfectionist, I'm far from perfect. I have issues. My issues are not as bad as some people, but still. I hold secrets, I've done things.

• I'm suffering from depression, counseling has helped, but the thoughts of suicide ravish my brain.
• I'm overweight, I have been all of my life. Doctors call it morbidly obese.
• I had my fair share of pre-marital sex, one night stands included.
• I judge people.
• I throw stuff and cuss like a sailor when I'm angry.
• I have so many people that I have yet to forgive. I still have to work on forgiving myself.
• I hate people in my past. Yes, I said hate, it's been difficult to truly forgive people who have damaged me.
• I have stolen.
• I mismanaged my money, made financial mistakes that still haunt me.
• Blah, blah, blah. The list could go on.

Basically, I'm what someone would call Damaged Goods. Oh yeah, I'm totally damaged goods. I bet you'll be able to find me at the bottom of the clearance bin, stuffed in the corner and dirty from everyone looking at me, but no one deciding to buy me. Eventually, I just got pushed down there while all of the non-damaged stuff got bought. I'm down at the bottom of that bin with all kinds of people.

Damaged goods, that's me to a tee. But you know what? So are you. We are all damaged goods in one way or another. We have all done things we are not proud of, we have all sinned. We all have one regret or another. We are all just a bunch of damaged goods waiting for someone to see the good in us, waiting for the one person who loves us unconditionally, no matter what has happened in our lives.

On the eve of Good Friday, I found myself pondering about this. Damaged goods is something that nobody wants to buy. Usually if it's a really good deal, people still won't buy them. Jesus hung out with all kinds of people who were damaged goods in the Bible. Some of them were his disciples, the people he confided in most.

I'm reminded of God's love for me, His love for you. He knows everything about me, including the stuff I refuse to admit to myself. And no matter what, he loves me. He beams proud when he thinks of me, when he thinks of you. God loves you, flaws included. He loves you so much that his son died to save us from all of our sins.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again." John 3:16-17 (Message)

So, remember Easter isn't about bunny rabbits and candy (although the Reece's Peanut Butter eggs are the bombdiggity), it's about Jesus dying on the cross that one day a long time ago. It's about him taking on our sins and wiping them clean with his grace and mercy. Don't get so caught up in the secular part of Easter, take time to really focus on the true meaning.

I imagine Him going into a store, going straight to the clearance bin, getting out every single item marked "Damaged Goods", piling them in His arms and saying to the cashier, "I'll take every single one of these. These are the ones I want."

Happy Easter, everyone!