By Jessica Brodie

Have you ever been having a perfectly good day and then all of a sudden that sinking feeling flips your stomach upside down and you remember that really awful thing you did long, long ago? Everything seemed just fine, but then that memory hits and you remember what a piece of dirt you were.

Then you start to think about all the repercussions—what if God doesn’t want someone like me in heaven? What if what I did excludes me from his kingdom somehow, even though I’ve repented?

It’s a rotten feeling.

The only relief I get when I go down these rabbit holes of remembering the past is understanding that I am saved only because of Jesus. There’s not a single thing I can possibly do that can make up for the past other than feel bad about it and resolve never to do it again. On my own, I’m not good enough for heaven. It’s only because of Jesus that I have a chance.

In my heart of hearts, though, I used to think differently. I used to think that I was a pretty good person, and that because I was nice and kind and didn’t do terrible things that I was somehow “good enough” for heaven on my own. I thought maybe I deserved to be in God’s kingdom just because of that. I didn’t think about how my selfishness, or other ways I went astray, created a chasm between me and my heavenly Father that only my savior Jesus Christ could bridge.

I believed in Jesus, but I didn’t realize how much I needed him.

Until the day I realized how lost I really was.

The truth is that even the best of us—those who have never committed grave, capital S sins—are still not “good enough” for heaven. On our own, there’s not a single one of us who is good enough. It doesn’t matter how kind we are or how merciful or whether we take care of our parents and never lie, murder, cheat, or do anything else wrong.

And that’s the meaning behind Jesus’s encounter with the rich man in Mark 10:17-31. In that passage, the man has asked Jesus what he needs to do to have eternal life, sharing that he’s kept all of the Lord’s commandments. Jesus tells the man he must sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then follow him. At this, the man goes away, grief-stricken. At this, Jesus says:

“Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”—Mark 10:24-27 (NLT)

What Jesus is saying here is that without God’s grace, none of us stands a chance. None of us is “good enough.” It doesn’t matter how kind we are or what we do—we’re destined for doom without him. The Law cannot save us. Only by the grace of God can we be saved.

Thank God for the extravagant love of the Father who made a way for his sinful and imperfect children to be a part of his heavenly kingdom. Thank God for the sacrifice Jesus willingly made in offering his life for all of us. Without him, we’re lost.

So the next time you wonder whether God would possibly take you in and how you could possibly be good enough, take heart. The message of the Bible is that none of us is actually good enough—only God is good enough. But because of his love, grace, and mercy, God lets us in anyway when we believe and follow his Son.

Only the Son is the way to eternal life.

And what an astounding, extravagant, necessary gift that is for us all.

A prayer: Dear God, thank you for forgiving me and for washing me clean. Thank you for accepting me into your family because of my belief in your Son as the savior of the world. I love you. Amen.

“Lord, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?” Psalm 130:3

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Come hang out with me!

If you live anywhere near Charlotte/Rock Hill, I’ll be at the Fort Mill Public Library in South Carolina April 18 from 10-12 for a free Carolina Christian book event . Come see me! You’ll be able to meet and chat with Christian authors, buy books, meet other Christian readers, and have some fun. Authors in addition to me are Robert Whitlow, Misty M. Beller, Vincent B. Davis II, E.V. Sparrow, Pamela Lewis, Dianne Miley, Jennifer Chastain, Seralynn Lewis, Kyle Hunter, Tim Eichenbrenner, Janice Cole Hopkins, Heidi Gray McGill, and Katherine Pasour, plus The Wandering Words and Sparkler Magazine.

Big news!

I’m honored to announce both of my books are finalists in the prestigious Selah Awards, with winners to be announced in May! The Memory Garden is a finalist in the Contemporary Women’s Fiction category, while Tangled Roots is a finalist in both the General Fiction and the Audiobook categories. What an honor! I hope you’ll read them. Click here to learn more and buy the books.