I'm amazed at the world we live in. In light of recent events, I don't even have to name the tragedies and complexities off--you already know. And your heart is probably heavy with it at times, just as mine is. But what amazes me most is how God is portrayed in the midst of it. Do I have an accurate picture of Him? Hardly. I grasp for what pixels I can just as much as the next person. But I'm continually heart-sick to hear some of the ways He's portrayed. That's just not the God I know--far from it. So much as I'd struggle to provide anything close to an accurate picture of who He is, I'd at least like to take a stab at a list of things I know in my heart He ISN'T. Feel free to add to it:
1) He's not distant. He doesn't prioritize our individual problems in light of the massive ones. He doesn't say "Geez, would you quit worrying about trying to fit into that dress before your friend's wedding? I'm dealing with a zealous crowd of protestors that are about to get violent!" He cares about what we care about--even if we care about it for silly, human reasons. If it's on our hearts, He cares--because our hearts are what He cares for most.
2) He's not a harsh, perfectionist judge. He's not sitting behind some heavenly pulpit, waiting for us to mess up again so He can smash down His gavel on the 3rd strike. He's patient. He's there to comfort us when we fall. He knows that our acknowleding our downfall can hurt as much as the natural consequences that follow. He never expects perfection--He only expects us to lean on Him.
3) He doesn't operate off of a checklist. I feel like Jesus made this clear in scripture when He spoke to or about the pharisees. Dressing a certain way, being involved (or not involved) in certain activities, and making sure you showed up at church "every time the doors opened" didn't seem to be very high on His priority list. When asked for His list, LOVE is what ranked at the top--not a plethora of do's and don'ts.
If a person (or group of people) have managed to portray God as something less than love--someone whose standards you could never live up to, whose rules you couldn't possibly follow, whose character you could never relate to, my friend, that's just not the God I know. And if someone has hurt you in the name of Christ, please accept my apology on their behalf. We imperfect human beings can do one heck of a bad job of portraying a loving, perfect Father. Much as I pray my actions would help show who He truly is, I'd be scared stiff to think my actions could have the power to represent whether He is who He says He is--because I'm GOING to mess up, I guarantee it.
Maybe a church hurt you. Maybe a group of not-so-Christlike Christians made you feel like you ranked low because you didn't succumb to their rules and standards for righteousness. If that describes you, try bypassing the whole lot of us for a while. Go straight to Him. Ask HIM to show you who He is. And take the rest of us--your fellow human beings--with a grain of salt. He truly is LOVE--not in a way we'll ever fully understand, not in a cliche "the world will be roses" way, but in a way that gives peace to those who truly seek it. Have I found that peace? I'm afraid not...but I feel sprinkles of it here and there. Enough to keep me looking for it again the next day. I've seen it bigger in the eyes of those I look up to the most, so I know He can make it grow. He's patient enough to show us. And that's the God I know.
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