A few years ago, as I was reading through the book of Job, these verses stood out to me. When I first read the beginning, I misinterpreted the direction Elihu, the speaker of these verses, was heading. Guilt washed over me as I imagined how hurt God must be by my sinfulness. I thought of the phrase I had often heard in youth groups, that every time I sinned, it was like nailing Jesus to the cross again.

Then I read on . . . What a revelation! Even if I were good, what gain does that give Him? He is entirely self-sufficient. He needs nothing from me, and when I sin, it does not diminish Him in the same way it diminishes us when we hurt one another.

He is so big, so mighty, all-powerful, all-sufficient just as He is, needing nothing from me or from you, and yet, Elihu goes on to say, He does not despise anyone! He has understanding and compassion toward us. He does want relationship with us, and He considers us worth pursuing.

This understanding of the self-sufficiency of God was a freeing revelation for me. It allowed me to come before Him with all of my emotions, with guilt, with joy, with pain, and with passion and know that He was not affected by my emotions in the same way people might be affected.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced the messiness of emotions in human relationships. If a son or daughter comes to you with sin, guilt, and shame, it takes a strong, godly parent to quickly forgive and love. More often, it is tempting to feel diminished by our child’s failure, to feel that we failed them in parenting and that their failure is a painful reminder of our own shortcomings. Self-blame and fear of our own guilt and failure often lead us to treat those we love with anger and hostility when we are confronted with their sin.

Likewise, even our joy and passion can be offensive to people in our lives. When a friend is mourning or feeling depressed about their own life choices, our joy and success can be cause for jealousy and anger. We can feel guilty for overwhelming others even with our happiness.

We are so used to toeing the line in human relationships and feeling that if we make a mistake, we are causing deep pain. All of this fear and ugliness in human relationships can make us wary of offering ourselves to one another. We hide behind masks, distance ourselves, and never try to give more than we know will be received.

Praise be to God that He is beyond all of that! He is not changed by our good or our bad. He loves us because He is love, not because we have earned anything! Of course, we know that He hates our sin, but it is not a hatred that comes from fear. Everything He feels for us is driven by love, even His expectations of holiness.

Take some time today to thank God for knowing and loving you. Thank Him for being both mighty and understanding. Be honest with Him as you pour out your heart, both the good and the bad, knowing that He can handle all of your emotions with love.