One moment in righteous fury, blazing with universal authority, delegating and punishing and ruling with awesome power..... the next, sitting and drawing pictures in the dirt, dealing out forgiveness and mercy to the dregs of society, covered in dust and draped with an old dirty garment, a silly grin on His weathered face.
When my pastor recommended that we (the congregation) close our eyes and take 30 seconds to ponder the fullness of God, I very quickly got his point. The God that I love and serve is far too complex for my feeble mind. He's full of impossible paradoxes and yet.... He's not.
God is too big.
The phrase reminds me of the first conversation I ever had with Rafiki. I was seventeen, and we were on a bus on the way home from teen camp at Strawberry Lake, Minnesota. I was listening to her rant to some kids about how God is just so BIG. She just went on, with little explanation, about how big God is and her face became so animated as she said "BIG" that I found myself laughing at her, and I remember thinking how strange it was that such a simple, childlike truth could seem so profound.
The memory of Rafiki holding out her hands saying "He's just so BIG" will forever bring a smile to my face, and whenever I find myself doubting His wisdom and fearing for my life, I remember what may be one of the most influential truths in my life.
He's bigger. Bigger than money. Bigger than my parents. Bigger than George Bush or Osama Bin Laden or Adolf Hitler (all of whom are drinking imported beer and playing poker, even as I write this) Bigger than all of the things that haunt my sleep and pursue my mind and bigger than all of my questions and all of yours too.
The teach you all sorts of cool stories in Sunday School, but I had to wait till I was 17 before someone finally explained to me the Bigness of God.
Oh wait, I just remembered a song from my childhood.....
"....My God is so BIG.... so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do...."
When my pastor recommended that we (the congregation) close our eyes and take 30 seconds to ponder the fullness of God, I very quickly got his point. The God that I love and serve is far too complex for my feeble mind. He's full of impossible paradoxes and yet.... He's not.
God is too big.
The phrase reminds me of the first conversation I ever had with Rafiki. I was seventeen, and we were on a bus on the way home from teen camp at Strawberry Lake, Minnesota. I was listening to her rant to some kids about how God is just so BIG. She just went on, with little explanation, about how big God is and her face became so animated as she said "BIG" that I found myself laughing at her, and I remember thinking how strange it was that such a simple, childlike truth could seem so profound.
The memory of Rafiki holding out her hands saying "He's just so BIG" will forever bring a smile to my face, and whenever I find myself doubting His wisdom and fearing for my life, I remember what may be one of the most influential truths in my life.
He's bigger. Bigger than money. Bigger than my parents. Bigger than George Bush or Osama Bin Laden or Adolf Hitler (all of whom are drinking imported beer and playing poker, even as I write this) Bigger than all of the things that haunt my sleep and pursue my mind and bigger than all of my questions and all of yours too.
The teach you all sorts of cool stories in Sunday School, but I had to wait till I was 17 before someone finally explained to me the Bigness of God.
Oh wait, I just remembered a song from my childhood.....
"....My God is so BIG.... so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do...."
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