Square one

Over the past year, I have tried to focus on different aspects of God's relationship to us.  I have asked God to teach me more about His patience, His love and especially His grace.  And every time I have attempted to focus in on one of these aspects, I have found myself reading and learning more and more about God's power.  Thinking that I was off-track, this has limited my experience - "I wanted to learn more about grace, God.  I want to show people more about how gracious you are.  Why do I keep ending up in areas of the Bible that talk about how strong you are?"

Yeah, I'm pretty near-sighted.

And so, as 2013 nears - I think I (and so many of us) need to take an appropriate moment to put God back in the proper perspective.  His grace, love, justice and all other traits are only properly perceived when we first remember that he is the all powerful creator and sustainer of anything - and that we are absolutely nothing in comparison.  With this in mind, I think we'll be far less willing to take him to task for our circumstances, or to try and negotiate when it comes to relating His commands to the culture around us.

The last chapters of Job (38 through the end) really drove this home the other day.  Though Job was a good man in what seemed to be circumstances that would make anyone question God's goodness, God brought him back to square one to realign his perspective - "Don't you know who I am?"

As the year closes and the holidays bring in all of their normal distractions, I pray I don't lose sight of this first fundamental truth.  I think it is the difference between whether God is truly my God - or just a way of thinking I subscribe to.  One commands a fear that nothing else can compare to.  The other gets distracted, self-righteous and demanding.

I pray I remember my place.