Article April 11, 2011 Issue

No need for self-condemnation—God loves you!

By Amy Richmond

First appeared as a web original on October 23, 2006

Have you ever felt you weren’t good enough to go to church? As if you didn’t deserve to be there? Or maybe that you weren’t living up to the standards of Christian behavior the way you think you should?

When you feel like that, or you think others are judging you, it can just seem easier to stay home. But isn’t it ironic that we sometimes pull away from church when we need it most?

That happened to me a few years back. I’d been struggling with a variety of issues—some key relationships were in disarray, my finances had taken a nose dive, and I had some long-standing health challenges I couldn’t shake. I’d prayed, but I was so overwhelmed that I lost my bearings and felt like I didn’t know how to pray anymore. What I was doing just wasn’t working for me.

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