When I was a kid, I perceived God as distant, unavailable, and unapproachable. My image of Him conjured up feelings of fear and judgment instead of protection and acceptance. I wanted to please Him so He wouldn't get mad at me. I pictured Him on the sidelines of life, keeping score, and I felt like I was always disappointing Him. In a nutshell, I had created a God in the image of my father. - Renee Swope, "A Confident Heart"
Matters of Consequence
I've been chewing on some things Pastor said during his sermon on Sunday. He gave us a picture of his two nephews and the current state of their Christian walk with the Lord (which was to say that neither one is doing much walking...more like sitting and ignoring). The message of this story (and his commentary of others who believe but don't act on that belief) was that they were in trouble; that they were in possible danger of not being with our Lord in Heaven. In a not so subtle way, Pastor was saying, "God was angered by their lack of response to His gift of eternal life and salvation."
I agree and disagree with Pastor's comments. Yes, they are definitely in trouble. But, not in the way of "You bad, bad, children...you're not doing what I told you to do!"
They are in trouble because they are missing out.
And they could potentially miss out for a long, long time.
In the second chapter of Renee Swopes' book, "A Confident Heart" she talks about the Samaritan woman and where she was in her life when Jesus came into it. She had been rejected many times (husbands did the divorcing in those days. That means she was abandoned five times by the men that she loved). She was a social pariah (you don't lug your earthen pot to get water in the heat of the day unless you are avoiding the rest of the ladies and their sharp tongues). She had little pride left (she was living with a man that she wasn't even married to). To say that she was in need of the love that Jesus offered her is an understatement.
One of the things that sings to my heart is the fact that Jesus went out of his way to be there for this woman. He, a Jew, went directly into the Samaritan neighborhood (just not done), in the hottest part of the day, and spoke to this Samaritan, (strike one) living in sin, (strike two) woman (strike three). As Renee puts it:
Jesus could have chosen to be anywhere else that day, but instead He was there pursuing Sam (that's what Renee named the Samaritan woman).
Jesus met Sam in one of the loneliest parts of her day.
In the same way, He is there waiting for us in the midst of our imperfect lives, when our pain and failures confirm our self-doubts. He is there waiting for us when we're going through the motions, aware of what needs to be done but unaware of how we're going to do it. He is there on those mornings when we can't stop criticizing ourselves for blowing it the day before; when we go to work and wonder why we're even there.This woman was in need and Jesus was the answer to that need.
We are all in need and Jesus is still the answer to that need today.
Some of us are lucky enough (though we probably don't call our pain and struggles lucky!) to be in the position of the Samaritan woman. We know that we are not where we want to be. Our lives are a mess and we can't seem to make them better. When we are given that promise of Living Water we jump on it like our lives depend on it (because they do!).
But, Christians like Pastor's nephews aren't in such a lucky position. Yes, they are in trouble - trouble of being without the Lord in their lives. There's danger in being complacent and self-satisfied...in thinking that they are just fine the way they are.
But, God's not handing out punishment to them. He doesn't want them to be without Him. He will, however, let them reap the consequences of their actions. He's not like the God that Renee describes in the paragraph above. He's not like the God that I thought He was when I was a child (hard, cold, demanding, impersonal, vengeful).
He loves.
He offers care and protection.
He offers guidance and salvation.
And yet...He allows consequences to shape our lives.
In my life, the waves of turmoil and self-involved choices have a tendency to throw me off balance and I quite often get sucked under and come up coughing and gasping for air. I know that God looks down on me and says to Himself, "When is that girl going to learn?" But, He loves me...and He reaches down and pulls me out of that mess when I finally look to Him for help. The rough waters are very good at reshaping my life. They're active and I'm aware of His presence pretty much constantly.
But, when they get still...when I'm floating in my happy little raft of contentment...that's when I must work the hardest to stay connected to my Lord. Praying, reading His Word, remembering all that He has done for me - these are the connectors that will keep me tethered to Him. I want nothing more than to float together with my Lord down the gentle currents of joy and love that He has provided for me.
That's the difference between peace and complacency. That's the result of learned from consequences, not suffered through punishments.
Dear Lord - Thank you for coming to me in the heat of my life and offering me cool drafts of your Living Water. Thank you for the ever active currents of life that keep me looking to you for safety and guidance. Please let me never be complacent or distant from you, Lord! You will never desert me or forsake me...but you can't keep me from abandoning you. I don't ever want to do that! I pray with all my heart that your love reaches those in need - not only those whose lives are desperate and obviously needing your saving grace, but also those who know you and yet have stopped following you. I ache for their complacency, Lord. I ask you to blast through that indifference and shine your love on them so fiercely that they cannot help but draw closer to you once again! I thank you so much for blessing my life and especially blessing my last two weeks. I am fully aware of your grace and power at this moment! I love you, Jesus, Father God and Holy Spirit! Amen.
Blessings and peace,
Leah
P.S. Here is something else to remember and treasure: God is Love. And this is what Love is and what Love promises us: 1 Corinthians 13
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