[andrewblow]

Brian, I believe that God thinks EVERYONE whom he has created utterly PRECIOUS - and loves us ALL with an uncompromised, unconditional love. We should not even attempt to challenge that love from any direction, but to accept it as God's very NATURE shown to us and actually sent to us in the person of our Saviour - Jesus.

Where we as humans sometimes go astray is to think God sees us as we see ourselves - or each other!!!

The person born with delightful human beauty (as we see it) and the person born with no legs, or with a terrible disease, is equally loved by GOD- although WE find that difficult......... because I don't believe God "curses" anyone with anything.

This is because God has created each person in his OWN IMAGE, with an eternal soul. He has then given us a mind and a body that he is happy with. We may see ourselves purely as humans with many irregularities, illnesses, physical disabilities, etc., but God sees right through these things and sees the REAL "US" and loves us unconditionally - 'cause that's the way he made us !!. If we've got a problem with that, we must go back to him, but the answer will be the same "I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE".

When in Ukraine last month I met a lady who had been blind 40 years. Her joy and fun was extraordinary and she could go to any part of her apartment for any thing and love the prayers we had together. I also met a guy who is a shrunken wreck of a 25 yr old.....but his peace and acceptance of what and who he was before God led him to pray for ME......one of the most humbling things ever.

He didn't know that I had just been diagnosed with a pair of lungs that are in poor shape and will resprict my movements 'till the day I die - and with no fault atributable to me. Has God 'cursed me'? - has he punished me? Does he still love me as much as before.?.......I was in Ukraine doing HIS BUSINESS as sent by him.

NO - NO - and ABSOLUTELY YES.

We must lay down (hard though it is) our HUMAN understanding and perception of inadequacies and human frainlties and see them as GOD sees them. Then we can < start > to get our priorities in order and still weep at death, as Jesus did with Lazarus (although there's much more to that than meets the eye....!! ) and see that we live in a wicked and corrupt world rules by Satan...... and that he is the sourse of all sickness, curses, frailties and human problems.

God loves all his creation, Brian....and the way he sees it - IT IS GOOD

Andrew