On the TV before I started to write this was a mother and son, sitting in A&E because one of them had a bead in their ear: you can probably guess which one. What interested me was the way in which the bribes increased, as she desperately tried to convince him to let the junior doctor take it out. Over the course of 5 minutes, she worked her way up from a bit of cake, to the biggest box of Lego in the shop. All to no avail, and off to the specialist they went.

It is amazing to me how often I have to remind myself, let alone anyone else, of the way that God loves me unconditionally. That means that however much I get wrong—however many beads I shove in my ear, to stick with my elegant image—he loves me the same. It also means that however much I get things right—whether I offer him a bit of cake, a box of Lego, or anything else besides—he loves me the same.

This is a tricky one for me, because I do like getting things right, and I am extremely good at getting things wrong. So I have a choice. Either I concentrate on the right things and the wrong things, or I look at Jesus, and let his unconditional love for me inspire everything I think and say and do.

People have always gone their own way, and Jesus knows that we can and will, but he offers us a way back to God. It is tempting to go my own way, but I find his way, his better way, calling me back again and again. How about you?

With love from Rob