In this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew 15:21–28, a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus knowing she has no status to hide behind. She doesn’t pretend to be better than she is. She simply knows who Jesus is, humbles herself, and asks Him for help.

I think a lot of men do the opposite with faith. We tell ourselves, “I’m not that kind of guy,” or “I need to get my act together first.” But that’s like saying you need to get in shape before you can start exercising. Sometimes what sounds like humility is really just an excuse for keeping God at a distance. The woman didn’t wait until she was worthy. She came as she was, with humility and faith, and Jesus praised her for it.

The truth is, Christ isn’t waiting for you to become someone else before He meets you. He’s simply inviting you to come closer than you’ve allowed yourself to so far.

— Chris Teague