“God’s forgiveness precedes my repentance.”

I heard that most explicitly from the lips of Brennan Manning, one of my favorite writers. He was speaking at a gathering I played music at back in 2008, just before his death.

It still rocks my world.

My life is far from perfect; my character defects and insanity-driven bad decisions can still carve a swath of destruction across my life, damaging not just me but those who are close to me as well.

In those times, those deep and dark “morning afters”, I get reminded of this.

But what’s even stranger sometimes is how much I struggle with the truth of it.

What kind of God is this? You mean before I say “Sorry,” or “Forgive me,” or even “Help me,” He has already done all of that?

What kind of love doesn’t depend on my sincerity or performance?

This is not easy for me to understand, much less experience.

But I have to believe it is true.