At Christmas time many of us like to reflect on the characters of the nativity. But have you ever thought about who Jesus’ grandmothers were? We know some of them by name because we find them in Jesus’ family tree recorded in Matthew 1. We know of Grandma Rahab and Grandma Ruth, both misfits and outcasts. Grandmother Bathsheba was in the lineage, too, a woman marked by David’s adulterous affair with her.

But God did not look upon any of these women saying, “Sorry. You just don’t measure up. I’m looking for someone with a flawless past.” If that had been so, Jesus never could have entered our world, not even through Mary. Rather, He came to us born into a family of imperfect people, every last one of them.

God isn’t seeking people with stellar resumés for His family. As Christ followers—Christians in the family of Jesus—we are imperfect “grandchildren” indeed. But we’re beloved and welcomed nonetheless. Whatever our past, whatever our mistakes, whatever the blemishes on our character, we are at home and accepted in the family of God.