Look what I found hidden in the draft category in my blog! Don’t ask me why I never hit “publish.”
It feels like summer lately — not just because the weather turned hot almost overnight, mostly because I’ve been reading a lot, and enjoying every indulgent minute. Some of the books I’ve chewed through recently: So Long Status Quo: What I Learn from Women Who Changed the World, by Susy Flory; Stubborn Twig by Lauren Kessler; Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore; and most recently I finished The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner.
They’ve all been great reads and each has left its mark on me. There may have been a scene so perfectly and poignantly detailed, a subtle comment with powerful innuendo, factual information that completely took me by surprise and observations I found thought-provoking.
In this excerpt from The Faith Club, Suzanne Oliver (the christian in the trio of authors) is explaining to her husband her experience with Yom Kippur. This was among her observations:
“In the Jewish prayers I hear the voice of a child praising his parent and hoping to earn his love and forgiveness. However, the child’s not sure if he deserves that love. So, if he gets it, he will be doubly grateful. On the other hand, Christians can sound like spoiled children. We start out assuming God loves us and will forgive us and that eternal life has already been won for us by the death of Jesus Christ. If I had to choose, I would prefer the first child. He’s less arrogant.”
As I read (and re-read) this statement, I found my human self unsettled. Does God see Christians as spoiled children during those seasons when we lean heavily on grace and and weigh-in lightly on devotion? Then I remembered this scripture and was reminded that we all get off track in our relationship with God:
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
And, finally, I found myself thankful that we serve a mighty God who “…will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance” (Psalm 94:14). And that is why we have confidence in our salvation (not arrogance); that is why we know he loves us and has prepared a place for those who fear his name.
