A few years ago I was struggling with what my relationship with God was supposed to be. I had a hard time believing that a perfect God could ever want to look at me, much less have a relationship with me. Then one day I decided to take the time and read the Bible cover to cover. Once I got through the tedious task of reading through books like Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, I was excited to read about amazing characters like Joshua, Saul, and David. But it wasn’t until I got to the stories of David, a man after God’s own heart, that I realized there really are no perfect men in the Bible. In fact, I realized God doesn’t even expect us to be perfect. Actually, He does expect perfection, but He knows we cannot attain it on our own. This is where David’s life spoke to me so powerfully. David, a man after God’s own heart, made mistakes… he made a lot of mistakes. Sometimes he made multiple mistakes in a single try (when he committed adultery with Bathsheba he committed murder in an attempt to cover it up). But what made David a man after God’s own heart was he realized he needed God to make him clean and presentable for His presence. Psalm 51:10 and 11 says, 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, wasn’t perfect and needed God to renew him and purify him. It was the first time in my life I realized that God doesn’t expect perfection. He expects obedience and a real relationship with Him that acknowledges our 100% reliance on Him. Yes, God is perfect, but He is also merciful and His plan is perfect!