Most of us our taught that God would love us if..........

God always entices us through love.

Most of us were taught that God would love us if, and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change, is the experience of love.
It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change. If the mystics say that one way, they say it a thousand ways. But because most of our common religion has not been at the mystical level, we’ve been given an inferior message—that God loves me “when” I change (“moralism”).
What that does is put it back on you. You’re back to “navel gazing” and you never succeed at that level. You are never holy enough, pure enough, refined enough, or loving enough.
Whereas, when you fall into God’s mercy, when you fall into God’s great generosity, you find, seemingly from nowhere, this capacity to change. No one is more surprised than you are. You know it is a gift.

~Richard Rohr