Recently, we went and got our Christmas tree. Because we don’t get much time together as a family, we decided to run into the nearest town and grab lunch. Where I live it’s cold these days, well it depends on the day you wake up in here in Ohio, but that day it was a whopping high of 36 degrees. Afterwards when we went back out to the Jeep, my son and I headed to the passenger side. My husband got in behind the wheel and my teenage daughter was outside the vehicle behind him. I watched as my husband tried to unlock the doors for us to get in, not once or twice, but multiple times. I was getting frustrated as my son and I stood there shivering. My husband had a dumbfounded look on his face as he continued to struggle with the locks. I just assumed my daughter was feeling the same as my son and I until I heard this burst of laughter from the other side of the Jeep. You see she was standing outside of the vehicle with us, but she wasn’t locked out. She had the spare key in her pocket and each time my husband hit the unlock she hit the lock. I was cold and irritated, but it was too funny not to laugh – and laugh we did as a family for more than a few minutes.
This morning as I sit here and write this story it is in vivid color for me. I can’t help to think about the way we see truth. My son and I had a clear view of the inside of the warm Jeep, we could see my husband, and we knew my daughter was waiting on the other side. What we couldn’t see was the key in her pocket. Life is like this situation. We see the images of the physical world clearly, usually. What we lack is the ability to see the hidden pieces.
Several millennia ago, the people of Abraham had a similar situation. They thought they could see the physical world clearly. What many of them missed is what Jonah readily saw. In the story of the prophet Jonah there is a section that is a conversation between him and God. Jonah is frustrated with God because he knows that if the people of Nineveh turn their lives around and start living for God, he will save them. As readers of the story, it seems a little incongruent that he feels this way. I don’t want to focus on the reasons why, but rather on the fact that Jonah knew the truth of who God was and the way that he viewed humans. Jonah knew exactly what the response would be before the event took place.
Let me go back to the beginning of humankind. There are two creation stories told. They ultimately are the same story, but with different details. You’ve heard this a few times over if you’ve been to church, but creation was made with loving care. Humans not only experienced this type of care, but they were given honor. Have you ever spoken to a young child in a manner which you get down on one knee to speak into their face? When you do this, they know that you are fully in tune with them. They sense your complete devotion. This is what God did with us. He stooped down looked us in the face, soaking up our story, and finding joy in not only our reaction to his presence, but in our desire to share with him.
Then an event took place that shifted the world. Humans decided to act on their own. When we did this God took precaution so that all would not be lost. His discipline was harsh not because it was cruel, but because the relationship between humans and God was shifted. The intimacy was replaced by divisiveness.
Why am I telling you this story? I want you to see two things. First that God’s character is twofold. He is filled with joy by us, and he takes action when we make decisions that ultimately do harm. His character does not change. Every story in the Bible reflects the same God: loving, just. The problem is that we see things in a skewed view many times.
When we look at our life situations whether good or bad, we tend to bend the view of God. Healing never takes place under these conditions. The wholeness of who we are as humans includes a spiritual element. If we want to get “well” we must acknowledge that there are two sides to the One who heals us for good. That means that there are moments in healing that will leave us outside of the car shivering. Why? We cannot see all things. God cleanses from the heart side out. True healing means we uncover all that is hidden. Some of those things revolve around behaviors that we have chosen at some point, past or present. Some we had no control over, but rather than work through them we buried them.
The second thing I want you to see is the step forward. Adam said, “the woman made me do it,” the woman pointed her finger at the serpent. God said, “let me show you the unhindered view,” which led to removal from paradise. While it might seem that this blog is about truth it is more than that idea. It has to do with alignment. We have every example under the sun in the Bible. Even better we have the response of God to every example in the Bible. As we move through the healing process, not only do we have to take note of our reactions, thoughts, and emotions, but we have to align them with the character of God.
How we do that deals with an action that I wrote about in an earlier blog, recognizing first how we respond. Yet, it is more than the how. We need to know what our thoughts are behind the actions. Once we begin to see the truth in our actions, we can align them to God’s truths. We can’t point fingers. Even if there are or were outside forces from which our actions and beliefs originated. We must see above all, our place in creation. We are not wasted time. If we were the God who created us would have gotten frustrated long before today. God simply would have started all over. That’s not the case.
God is patient. Where do we need to have patience? Is it with others or ourselves? How do we learn patience? Did you really think it’s something you just have? No, it takes a process to gain patience with a world that is at times incredibly frustrating (read the prophets and see it from the perspective of the most patient being).
God is love. Where do we need to love? Is it with others or ourselves? How do we obtain love if we don’t already have it? Open up the book of 2 Corinthians and read chapter 11.16-33 then follow it up with chapter 13.1-7. Love is not without effort. It takes time to master and has multiple stages.
God is just. Where do we need to see justice served? Is it with others or ourselves? I am not talking about punishment. I am talking about justice. Draw up the image of Lady Justice. She is holding a scale. Every behavior we exhibit has an equal balance in response.
Not every situation in life is as clear as an untinted window, but many of them are like the hidden key in the pocket. Even when we are standing outside in the cold shivering, we are the owners of how we will live life. Learning to recognize ourselves better, aligning our thoughts and actions to God’s, and then retraining our responses is all a part of the healing process. Give yourself grace as you move through the steps.
Thank you for letting my journey with you – blessings.
Monica Swank 