They lied to you
About your identity
They told you that
That your sin
Clung to your soul at conception
The way flesh clings to bone
They told you
That you deserved damnation
And endless torture
Not for anything you’ve done
But for what you are
They told you that
God cannot love you
Unless you hate yourself
They told you lies upon lies
About who you are
About your worth
About who God is
God is love
That is all you need to know about Her
She cannot hold hate in her heart
For any of her creation
And especially you
You hold the imago Dei
in your soul
in your spirit
in your essence
You are love incarnate
You are the one God loves
You have nothing to fear
From hellfire
or God’s wrath, which could never burn against you
You are endlessly
Passionately
Unconditionally
Loved
You are God’s precious one
-Shari A Smith (August 1, 2021)