I often have the impulse to ask other Christians exactly what trait of the Lord they most appreciate in their lives. Is it His love that cradles our hearts despite loneliness, rejection, and betrayal? Is it His forgiveness that willingly washes away and forgets every one of our deepest failures and darkest sins? Is it His grace that bestows the abundant blessings of peace, joy, and belonging when we deserve not only none of His favor but none of His notice? Or is it His justice that ultimately punishes evil and rewards with honor those who walk in His ways? Is it His humanity that proves his intimate connection with the human beings that He so desires to save and comfort? Or is it His holiness that sets Him apart from and higher than every other being in the universe?

Does His compassion fill us with an awestruck adoration? Does His wisdom keep us secure in the knowledge that all things are part of His perfectly designed and executed plan? Does His service to others inspire us to serve those around us as well? Does His honesty assure us that we are safe in the hands of One who will never trap us in the fine print of regulations that sap the life out of our bodies and spirits?

The reason I want to ask others these questions is simple: I ask them to myself often and have difficulty answering. But, I am pretty sure I know why I am unsure. Without any one of these beautiful characteristics of the Lord Jesus, He would not be who He is. How could I love any part of my “altogether lovely” Savior any more than any other part? Yes, there are days when His incarnation fills me with wonder and love as I remember the stoop He took for someone as insignificant as me. There are moments that His justice calms my soul as I see all of the ignored injustice in the world around me that someday He will confront and punish. Most days, I cherish the amazing fact of His forgiveness: He forgives my ceaseless stubborn rebellion, my weakness as I fall prey to temptation, my laziness as I haphazardly serve the One who bore agony to save my soul, and my attitude of entitlement when my world is not as I believe it should be and I fail to thank Him for the very air I am breathing and the sun on my face.

But, most of all, I am thankful for His presence– the simple fact that as I write these words, He is sitting right next to me. I am thankful that His ultimate sacrifice on the cross has not only saved me from an eternity in hell, but has also brought me into the most intimate relationship I will ever have. He knows me inside and out, backwards and forwards, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And He will never run away in disappointment or shame. He will not only stay beside me on the journey, He will lead me by the hand to His beautiful home where I can be with Him basking in His love forever.

I don’t understand it and never will. Why He created a creation He knew would fail and fall. Why He would reach down in a sacrifice of incredible compassion and love to lift us from the ashes. Most of all, why, knowing all about me before I existed, He would reserve for me a place in the family and home of God. Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ is an “unspeakable gift.” His worth is incalculable, His beauty unparalleled. I am unworthy to bear His name but I will endeavor to do so in a way that will not sully that lovely name but cause it to shine brighter for all the world to see HIM (and not me).