Some friends and I were talking last week about how many of us were raised with a very harsh image of God. He just sat "up there" in my childhood waiting for me to mess up and then he was going to smite me. I lived in fear of being smitten. Smited? Smote? The rod in Psalms 23 was not a comfort to me. It was hanging over my head. I imagined God as a mob boss and the angels were his enforcers. This wasn't a correct image of God (obviously) as the Song of Songs says that I am his Beloved and Zecharaiah says I am the apple of his eye.
Perhaps in response to this oh so negative image, an entire generation is being raised with "Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirts and an idea that God is just okay with everything. He's now the "whatever" God. This doesn't ring true, either. I don't know any of my homeboys who can create an entire universe just by saying, "Make it so." (Yes. I had to get a Star Trek reference in here somewhere.) Exodus says God is a jealous God. Numbers mentions again and again that the "anger of Jehovah" was kindled against Israel for their sin. Neither of those things makes it sound like God is just okay with "whatever" including sin. There is no absolute truth anymore. God just holds us accountable for what we believe.
I'm thinking the truth is more somewhere in the middle. If we were created "in His image" as it states in Genesis, then He's probably somewhat like us. Now, bear with me here. I'm not saying that we are gods or that He somehow has arms and legs and gets cramps every 28 days. However, the anger of Mommy is kindled against my kids quite often lately and I haven't "taken a hit" out on either of them. My enforcers haven't made them any offers they can't refuse or taught them to swim with the fishes. Neither am I okay with everything they do. They are held accountable for the boundaries of our household. For instance, there is no talking before 7 am (and this is for their own safety.) You may not talk to Mommy or Daddy or each other with a disrespectful tone. If you want your laundry done, you'd better have it in the laundry hamper on laundry day. I am not a "whatever" mom.
This is a pretty revolutionary concept for me. I'm still kind of working on it....
I think that it's good to reevaluate what you believe in every so often. I have personally come a long way in my beliefs about God and what he does and does not stand for. I was also very afraid of doing specific things out of fear. I didn't think that I was going to be "smoted" (or whatever it is) immediately but I was terrified of what might happen "afterwards." I'm no longer afraid because I think that He loves me regardless of my actions and He knows that I'm trying and He knows where my failings are. Sort of like having a child who is in a wheelchair and can't run track. Maybe I've always dreamed of having a child who could run like The Bolt but it's ridiculous for me to be mad at him for not being able to do it. I think that we all have our own handicaps and some lead us to sin. I think He knows that and loves us anyways. So I don't go to church...I feel Him more out in nature than I ever did enclosed in 4 walls. So I tend to sin here and there...I've always tried to be a good person. So I fall asleep during prayer...He knows what I wanted to say to Him. I'm at an age where I will no longer feel guilty about these things. I personally think God wants us to enjoy life rather than beating ourselves up about our shortcomings. I might be wrong but that's my personal view. I think that's why we were put here, to enjoy it. And if you've led a perfectly free and clear life without sinning, are you really able to have compassion and empathy for those that aren't as strong as you are? Just my 2 cents. *shrug*
ReplyDelete