Prayer for young adults: Rich Young Ruler

Lord Jesus, You are altogether lovely. Song of Solomon says the bride loves the whole person, not just the easy parts.

I have edited You. I keep close the parts that feel good to me. The friend of the outcast. The patient teacher. The defender of the weak. But I keep my distance from the harder parts. The You who cursed the fig tree. The You who cleared the temple with a whip. The You who called Peter Satan and told the rich young ruler to sell everything. I have a Jesus I like. It is not the full You.

The bride did not pick which parts of the beloved she loved. She loved all of him. Even the parts that made her uncomfortable. Even the parts she did not choose.

So today, give me back the rest of You. The You who tells me hard things about my money, my anger, the things I treat as more important than You. Let me love that Jesus too, not just the gentle teacher I have framed on my wall. The whole You. The altogether lovely One. Not a version I built to match what I already like.

Help me love the You who is real, not the small version I made for myself.

Amen.