This song is powerful in its own right http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k95HaYFjko by the group Skillet. It is full of questions, questions that we have all wondered in our lives.
I am of the generation where you were taught to fear a loving God. Doesn’t that sound silly….being that the Bible says, Perfect love casts out all fear? But none the less, for the majority of my life I have asked many of these questions….I have wondered if I would be able to gain the attention of God….I have sat saddened in my mistakes as I “just knew” He was not going to be there….because I messed up….that wondering “will you be there” would often cause me to retreat far from the Lord. It was one of those, “I am going to break up with you before you break up with me” things. I had a fear of the Lord. All my actions were motivated by that fear of Him.
As I have grown in the Lord…as I have become a parent…the HUGEST blessing ever…. I have learned that being motivated by fear gets you no where. And that a Loving God is not trying to be fearful. Remember when you fell in love with whom ever you fell in love with…all our actions were motivated by that love…. for love you got up early, you stayed up late, you did things you might not like because the one you love likes them. It makes you a better person…love does. As we started having children I discovered that I don’t want to be a person they fear…. do they wonder “can I run to you?” and it came naturally to create an environment where my children know….they can come to me, I love them, I will help them work this out and right now we are working on being motivated by our love for each other opposed to a reward. It has to be enough that we appreciate and have love “FOR” each so we do our part…. and in the end…all there is….well….love remains.
All of this is true of God. I know that there are millions of us who have a brain that can’t process living in a world where we are motivated by our love “for” God and not by our fear “of” Him. I really think that God wants to undo that thinking. Easier said than done I know, but look at your kids….imagine that one of them did something that you said would hurt them…..they get hurt….. they run to you……what will you do? You scoop them up and say, “I know, I know” You check out the hurt, you patch them up, they KNOW you love them…. you don’t say, “I told you not to do that” as you walk away. Imagine your child needing to tell you that they have made a terrible mistake….. a mistake that cannot be “blown off”…. when they tell you…you are sad, but your love remains….after all…these are your children. If you have a child…. you have a fabulous connection to how God feels about you, but we also have a huge responsibility to teach that child how God responds….makes me think twice before I act towards them. Look through the blog archives for Comfort First, Lesson Second. Do I fail…..HA HA HA…yes, yes I do…. but when I go to my kids and tell them…. they are the representatives of God to me….and it humbles me….and I know that we have each other to help us grow. A new generation of relationship has to be established….. a relationship of Love for Him not Fear of Him.
Another blog later this week on love and fear…..
Posted by: admin
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Family