Love held me at my worst. Held me even when my own grasp failed. Love held me in broken places, gathering the pieces and putting them back together—more beautifully than I ever could. It held me in the dark, reminding me that I am not alone. It held my doubts and questions with patience, unoffended and unrepulsed. It held my fears until they no longer ruled me.

What if love covers not just the sin we commit but even the ones we could have committed but did not because of love? What if love covers sin not only after it happens, but before it even begins?

One of the most important things I’ve learned is to give myself grace for not knowing better back then, for not handling things differently when I simply couldn’t. I’m also just living my life for the first time, too. And somehow, my mistakes, instead of ruining me, have grounded me. They’ve kept me humble, human, and becoming.