Making God Fit (How We Try to Recreate the Creator)

In an attempt to reconcile our standing with God and our living in the world, I think we've attempted to change and modify him.  In fact, we have a history of attempting to reduce God to a political platform, a few standard cultural norms, or even a figure who just doesn't like whomever we hold in contempt.  In other words, we try to recreate the Creator. 

Do we really believe God would be either a democrat or republican?  Certainly, he has a set of ideals (would we want the ruler of the universe to have none?).  But, try to imagine Jesus running for President.  First of all, he wouldn't.  He was explicit in saying that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18).  He also instructed his followers to give their hearts to God...and give Caesar what is Caesar's (Mark 12).  In other words, your most important possession belongs to God.  Secondly, his political platform would look a little unusual by the worlds standards, wouldn't it?  Try to make a political commercial out of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). Blessed are the meek?  The response would certainly include how "impractical" Jesus' espoused values are in the modern world (author's note: by the way, Jesus meant that stuff).

Neither does God fit into our cultural norms.  Sure, God has blessed America.  But, I'm not entirely convinced that he recognizes our borders with Canada and Mexico and he has blessed many other nations besides the USA.  Kenya is desperately poor but has one of the most devout Christian populations in the world!  Why do we say God has blessed us only when we are prospering (or when we win the game - not when we get beat)?  Do we really think that our struggles and weaknesses contain no blessings as well?  What if our prosperity and/or strengths are only serving to distract us from our need for God? This was the case with the rich young ruler (Mark 10).  What if God has intentionally left us with a weakness in order to further demonstrate his power through us as was the case with Paul's thorn (2 Cor 12)?  Moses stuttered and was orphaned.  John the Baptist ate bugs.  Jesus himself was poor and despised by the majority.

Finally, we tend to justify ourselves to God by pretending that he is more accepting of our shortcomings as opposed to the shortcomings of those people around us.  In our minds, this makes us slightly better than "the bad guy" standing next to us thinking that God then holds us in higher esteem.  For instance, if we fail to recognize our pride and arrogance, but hold the drug addict in contempt, are we sounding a lot like the Pharisee who prayed "at least I'm not like this poor tax collector" (Luke 18)?  According to Jesus, it was that "heathen" tax collector who made it to heaven...

God is obviously too expansive to reduce and recreate but we try to do it anyway.  Anne Lamott said it nicely" You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do".  In this sentence, you could substitute the word "people" with: things, ideals, or shortcomings as well.  I pray to have continued faith that his word will hold true.  That he alone is sufficient.  That he will provide my needs just as he is ... and that I not attempt to reduce him to whatever I see as normal and/or acceptable. 

Brave Enough, Dependent Enough, Weak Enough

Almost universally, followers of Christ admit that they experienced the most spiritual growth during times of difficulty.  I know that this is certainly true in my own journey.  The times when we are having to bear the most burden is frequently when we are most willing to rely on God to support us (the saying that "God won't give you more than you can handle" is not in the Bible!).  There seems to be a point in time  during trials that we quite literally "take our hands off the wheel" and ask God to take over.

In my own experience, that inflection point is almost like a revelation, or a reminder from God, that I was never intended to bear the weight of this world. When I am open to the idea of letting him navigate, I always experience a spiritual pat on the back that serves to reinforce what ends up being a very liberating and beneficial move on my part.  As we see the spirit of God help us work through times of trouble, our faith in him grows exponentially.

To get to the inflection point where I grow closer to God, I have to finally admit and embrace my own weakness.  That, my friends, has never been an easy task for me.  My personal history, maleness, and our western culture have always reinforced my natural desire to be extremely self-reliant (being self-reliant is different than being self-responsible which is merely being a good steward of God's gifts and using them within the framework of his will for us - more on that later).  So, I have to finally admit my inability to fully bear a burden asking God to share my yoke which he promises to do.  It is important to note that to share the yoke of God means, not only that he will bear the weight of the burden, but that I have to also be willing to go where He steers me: to learn from the situation, to allow the spiritual growth that occurs, to be dependent upon him.

There is bravery associated with admitting weakness isn't there?  It is a scary thing to say that you don't fully possess the capacity to bear the weight of a trial.  To relinquish control and allow life to be directed by anyone other than ourselves is downright frightening.  But, as frightening as relinquishing control is, the bravery that it takes to initiate the quest for spiritual growth can feel sort of like jumping off of a cliff.  When life seems to be running rather smoothly, to ask God to cause us to grow, while knowing that this growth may cause pain, seems more than a little counter-intuitive.  We have to be willing to accept the fact that it could hurt...it could hurt a lot.

Frankly, this asking may cause a complete disruption in our lives that may feel like loss.  And by the way, it is.  It is loss because we are assured that there will be a cost to follow Christ.  Things that we have become dependent upon could be ripped away from us.  These could be our job, relationships, money, material possessions - basically, anything that is an idol and taking the place of God in our lives.

Christians are NOT promised the Best Life Now (that reference was intentional) nor are we assured a life in this broken world without hardship.  In fact, we are told that sacrifice is required, pain inevitable and persecution promised.  We are told that there is a cost to discipleship.  Jesus Christ was quite specific about this when he said "whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it".  If the faith of removing our hands from the wheel, sharing a yoke, jumping off of a cliff, and taking up the cross isn't bravery, I'm not sure what is.