God is Proud of You

There is an Avett Brothers line that always stops me in my tracks. In the last verse of The Perfect Space, they sing: 

"I wanna have pride like my mother has / And not like the kind in the Bible that turns you bad." 

The word pride carries two related but different meanings. One is a healthy delight in who we are, what we have made, or those we love. The other is an inflated sense of self-importance that places us above others. 

That second meaning is the one that carries a lot of baggage. We recoil at people who puff out their chests or celebrate their accomplishments a bit too much. This is the pride "in the Bible that turns you bad." 

Proverbs tells us that pride comes before the fall. The Epistle of James says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 

But this is not the full story when it comes to pride. 

There is also the pride "like my mother has." The pride a parent has for a child or a craftsperson has for a creation is not the same pride that leads to destruction. It is an appropriate delight in a person, a triumph, a skill, or any number of other gifts. 

For a human being to flourish, they need to be connected to this kind of pride. Pride of purpose. Pride of identity. Pride of accomplishment. Pride of relationship. The ability to recognize the goodness of who God has created us to be. Without it, people can become trapped in guilt, fear, and shame. 

Would it shock you to know that the Bible begins with God taking pride in creation? 

After creating everything that is – from millipedes to sequoias – God steps back and calls it good. 

What is this if not an artist gazing upon a finished canvas with deep satisfaction, joy, and pride? 

Then, with a final flourish, the Divine Artist picks up the brush again and adds humanity – and specifically you. 

With that final addition, God calls it all very good. 

You are a vital part of creation. An invaluable thread in the tapestry God has been weaving since the beginning of all things. 

You, with all your vulnerabilities and strengths. 

You, with your kaleidoscope of interests and passions. 

You, with all the ways you show up in the world. 

God delights in you. 

As we turn the calendar to June, I want to say to all those in the LGBTQ+ community and to all who love them: God is proud of you. 

Not because you have earned it. Not because you are perfect. Not because you have everything figured out. 

God is proud of you because you are God's beloved creation. 

You bear the image of the One who made you. You belong in the story God is telling. You are part of the beautiful and diverse creation God called good from the very beginning. 

And nothing can separate you – or me or any of us - from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.