Growth

Divine Tension

One of the greatest gifts my parents gave me was this: I always knew that they loved me and I always knew that they would hold me to the standards that they had set. Somehow, I never saw any conflict between these two. When I was punished I always knew it was because I had done something wrong, not because my parents had suddenly stopped caring for me. When I was shown loved, I never believed it was because of who I was or what I had accomplished – it was simply given because I exist. These two facets of my relationship with my parents gave me both security and a desire to do good, and I believe they are a large reason for the person I am today.

In Christendom many people stumble over the thought that God is our Father because their relationship with their parents wasn’t as healthy as mine. In fact, they usually vacillate between two extremes. They either believe that because God loves them, broken standards should not lead to consequences. In this view, love is devoid of any demonstration of unpleasantness and therefore punishment is not part of the equation. The other spectrum view God as simply the distributor and arbitrator of a moral code. In this scenario, God’s primary role is that of a entire judicial system and opportunity for a reciprocating relationship is minimal. Just as Paris Hilton would have a difficult time becoming friends with her sentencing judge, so do we when we view God as merely the rule-giver.

However, neither of these extremes are right. God is not just a big teddy bear, nor is He solely a referee. Instead, He is both grace and justice. Each have their place and each accomplish their purpose. Spurgeon explains it like this, ” The law is for the self-righteous, to humble their pride:the gospel is for the lost, to remove their despair.” God is the distributor of both.

I was exceptionally blessed to receive the parents that I did. Not everyone has the same situation. But everyone has a Heavenly Father that loves them and He is the source and the perpetuator of this divine tension.

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Growth

The Coming Storm

Life tends to have cycles. If you are in a time of tumult, wait a bit and calm will come. If you are in a period of respite, don’t get too comfortable, life will surely throw you a curve ball. There’s an old saying that the only thing certain in life is that things won’t remain the same. Change is inevitable. Just ask the man in Poland who recently woke up from a 19-year coma. When he went into the coma, the world’s great struggle was between Communism and Democracy. Awaking 20 years later, he’s faced with a world controlled by cell phones, accessed through the Internet and plagued with reality TV. Not only has his nation’s government radically changed, but the concerns that were so prevalent then, are a mere memory today.

Change will sometimes have positive results. Oftentimes change brings us unexpected surprises and unwarranted favor. However, change can also cause us to throw our hands up in despair. At these times, we run towards God hoping that He can change our bad situation to good. And while He certainly can, that’s not the greatest benefit of running to Him. More than the change in circumstance that He has the power to wrought, running towards God refreshes our spirit with Him. As George MacDonald says, “How often we look upon God as our last and feeblest
resource! We go to him because we have nowhere else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us, not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.” We go to God for respite from our struggles and find that true rest only comes in Him.

Captains of ships seek to anticipate storms and avoid them. However, when tides change and winds shift, they must make a decision about they’ll adjust to the situation. Every captain’s desire is to avoid being run aground. An unanticipated harbor provides sweet relief. That’s what God is. Our harbor in every storm, as well as our lighthouse guiding us home.

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