A Video Version
I want to tell you a true story:
One
day I had a conversation with my friend Linda.
I asked what her God concept was and she began a litany of the typical
phrases one might expect to hear. “Oh,
He’s kind and loving and forgiving,” and on and on.
I
stopped her at one point and said, “That is all well and good, but what do you really
think about God?
She
thought for a moment and said …
“I think God is mad at me.”
I
asked and she continued.
“Once, when Jen (her only child) was five, I was boiling some water on the
stove. She went over to the pot when I
wasn’t looking, reached for it and poured the water on her head. God must hate me to let something like that
happen.”
How
was I to respond to that? Of course,
Linda could have been more alert; she could have turned the handle toward the
back of the stove, but she didn’t. The
curiosity of her five-year-old ruled the day and this horrible incident
happened. Linda’s daughter survived this
incident and is now a grown woman.
I
suppose I could think God hates me because I gain ten pounds after eating a box
of Snickers candy bars. I could – but
really …
Sometimes,
if we get too close to the flame we get burned.
But God doesn’t push us into the flame you see.
I
think the finest example of how God views us is told in the parable of the
prodigal son. The key word here is
“parable”, for this is an illustrative story told by Jesus to demonstrate how
much God loves us.
In
my understanding of this story, the son was restored to his rightful place as a
SON, not as a slave or servant. He
expected to have to live with the pigs. He
was invited back into the palace.
What
he got was restoration. He was given the
best robe, a special ring, new sandals, and a banquet with the best food, the
best drink and great merriment. Read the
full story in Luke 15:11-23.
The
words the son heard were the same words God offers to each of us.
Welcome
home my son, my daughter. Come on up to
the big house where you belong. The
covers are turned down, a warm bath is waiting for you, and there is plenty of
food on the table.
That
sounds like an accepting God to me. He’s
not mad at all. He’s offering love, and a
place at the table.
We
are often compared to sheep in the scriptures.
Sheep are not the brightest animals alive. I saw this for myself once. A stick was placed in front of the lead sheep
and she jumped over it as did the next five sheep. I removed the stick and the rest of the flock
jumped at exactly the same spot, even though the stick was no longer there.
And
yet God loves us. Psalm 23 is a great example
of God’s thoughts toward us in comparison to sheep.
Hold these thoughts
close to your hear
~God IS Love.
~God IS Grace.
~God IS Forgiveness.
Is
God mad at us?
Not
even a little bit!
That
is one of the most encouraging thoughts one could hear.
We are loved.
We are accepted.
We are cherished.
God the Father is very fond of you and me. (Brennan Manning)
Thanks
be to God.
Offering Words of
Hope Encouragement
Inspiration
One Word at a Time
