A Pearl of Great Price

COME AS YOU ARE

A poem written by Pearl

I came to the end of myself one Tuesday—no fireworks, no angel choir, just me, knees on carpet, pride on the floor, realizing I’d been trying to polish pieces I didn’t even know how to hold.

See… I used to think holiness was a dress code. A checklist. A “fix yourself first then maybe God will look your way” ritual. I thought I had to show up sparkling, no cracks, no stains, no story. But grace… grace looked me dead in the face and said, “Child… you clean nothing. I do.” And suddenly, the weight of what He is hit me like thunder dressed in light.

How do you comprehend a God who breathes galaxies as casually as exhaling?

How do you “prepare yourself” for the One who hung the sun and still notices when you cry quietly at night so no one hears?

How do you tidy up your heart for a King who sees the dust before you do—and loves you with the dust still swirling?

I realized humility isn’t shrinking yourself down—it’s expanding your vision until you see how small everything else is next to Him. Next to Him… every fear dims, every scar softens, every “I failed again” dissolves like morning mist. Next to Him, the world looks like a shadow trying to imitate the light.

And I—I don’t stand before Him fixed. I don’t stand before Him polished. I don’t stand before Him perfect. I stand because He lets me stand. I breathe because He holds the air. I exist because He whispered yes before the world ever saw my face.

I finally understand my position: He is God. Infinite. Unmatched. Uncontainable. And I am human. Finite. Fragile. Falling apart in places I pretend look “fine.” But that’s the mystery—He never asked for perfect. He never asked for performance. He never asked for proof that I deserved to be held. He just said… come. Not “clean up first.” Not “sort it out.” Not “earn it.” Just… come. And that’s why my voice rises, my hands lift, my heart cracks open and spills light—because I know now. I know why I stand in His presence unafraid. Unqualified. Yet completely welcomed.

And that’s why I sing—soft at first, then louder, “Come… come as you are to worship.”

Come As You Are was written by Pearl and posted here with permission.

Special thanks to Elder Ryan Reid, Brothers in Christ, for speaking on our behalf to Pearl’s parents, who serve at a church in Nottingham, England, UK. The poem was read by Ryan as an encouragement during the Monday weekly meeting of the WhatsApp group, Brothers In Christ, based in the United Kingdom. Ryan forwarded the following to me after the meeting:

“Her name is Pearl, a teenage girl whose parents are leaders in another church I attend locally sometimes. Her mum was keen enough to forward it to me when I asked if I could use it tonight, but yeah God has given her a wonderful gift, and I hope it has an impact on some of the Brothers.”

It absolutely did.